


Reflections of the Heart

by AXEe



Series: Blonde Bombshells [1]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Gen, Light Angst, Matchmaking, Spoilers for "Infinite Regress"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-04 23:43:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 23,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15851856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: When Seven starts experiencing blackouts and lapses in her memory, Janeway and crew worry she's having another incident involving her other personalities, but truth is much stranger...(update: now with cover art provided by calderonbeta)





	1. Newcomer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [polybi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/polybi/gifts).



> As thanks for the idea/encouragement :=).
> 
> I had this idea for years, but I never felt right about it until now. So here goes, wish me luck and enjoy :=)

******

Cover art by calderonbeta. Thanks :=) (link can be found at: https://starshipvoyeur.tumblr.com/post/178128500292/do-you-love-femslash-and-fantastical-adventures)

******

Seven threw the PADD away with disgust

“Having problems?”

Turning, Seven straightened up

“Captain,” she felt heat rising in her face. Embarrassment she indentified “I apologize; I didn’t hear you come in”

“It’s all right,” Kathryn dismissed with an easy smile that made Seven’s stomach flip “happens to all of us,” she nodded to the PADD now lying discarded on the floor “although I’d like to know why you’re throwing PADDs around”

Seven sighed, her annoyance and frustration clear

“The Doctor has suggested I attempt to pursue an artistic outlet,” she explained “he suggested creative writing as a good outlet for my imagination”

Kathryn glanced back at the PADD

“I take it that it’s not going well?” she asked

“No,” Seven sighed in annoyance “it seems that perhaps I don’t have an imagination”

“ _Or_ maybe you’re trying too hard,” Kathryn suggested “you shouldn’t try to force your imagination, just let it come naturally,” she patted Seven on the shoulder, squeezing gently “now then,” she straightened up, pulling her hand away, and Seven had to resist the sudden urge to follow her “about your latest report?”

“Of course” Seven quickly found the appropriate PADD and handed it to the other woman

“Thanks,” Kathryn smiled as she turned to leave “oh, and Seven?” she paused in the doorway “don’t stay up too late” she teased

Seven nodded and once the doors closed, reached up to her shoulder where Kathryn had touched her, absently rubbing at it, sudden wishing that she could feel that touch again. Sighing again, she picked up the now ruined PADD from the floor and disposed of it and then stepped into her alcove to began her regeneration cycle.

She’d only been there for a few seconds when she suddenly opened her eyes again. Stepping out of the alcove, she looked around as if she’d never seen the cargo bay before.

Silently nodding to herself, she made her way to the console, pausing as she came across the broken PADD in the recycling unit. Pulling it out, she examined it with a sigh and a shake of her head

“Seven, Seven,” she sighed “so stubborn,” tossing the PADD back in the recycling unit, she approached the console and pulled up the ship’s personal files “ah, Kathryn Janeway, there you are,” she muttered as she scanned the text, suddenly brightening as she highlighted a section of text “ah…perfect” suddenly grinning to herself she shut down the console and exited the cargo bay…


	2. Two Heads Aren't Better Than One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter TWO! Enjoy! :=)

******

The next day found an already tired Kathryn Janeway glowering at a PADD in her ready room. Groaning in disgust, she tossed the PADD aside, leaning back in her chair and rubbing tiredly at her eyes before thumping her head against the headrest a few times hoping to knock something loose as she glanced forlornly at the series of stacks of PADDs cluttering her desk.

The Ny’mar Authority had what was possibly the longest list of procedures and regulations for visitors she’d ever seen. The aliens had one of the most complex bureaucracies ever encountered by the Federation, a simple request to be allowed to pass through their space had resulted in a three week long series of back and forth negotiations.

Each individual crewmember aboard the ship had to fill out a separate transit form—in triplicate—and then file it with the proper authorities, and on a ship of one hundred and fifty that inevitably made for an extremely mind-boggling headache for the crew. Already several crewmembers had been admitted to sick bay with signs of severe stress and rumors of fistfights breaking out had already started.

Frankly speaking, if they managed to get through Ny’mar space in under a month Kathryn would be very surprised.

Reaching for her coffee cup, she scowled as she realized it had gone cold. Now even more annoyed, she got up and stalked to the replicator, barking out an order for a large, hot black coffee, actually a good whiskey sounded better, but she needed to keep her wits about her less the Ny’mar dump more bureaucratic procedures on them.

Guzzling down an unhealthy amount of coffee, she though back to last night’s brief interaction with Seven, her annoyance at the Ny’mar only growing. Because of the massive bureaucracy she hadn’t had time to see Seven—or anyone else for that matter—since they’d entered Ny’mar space, which did little to improve her mood, since talking with Seven brought a little bit of light to her day.

She knew that she was playing a dangerous game, but as long as her interactions with Seven remained strictly platonic she’d be fine. The only problem was that it was getting harder and harder to keep thing strictly platonic. Every day her attraction to the young woman grew and grew, and eventually she knew that she would break down and confess her feelings for the former drone.

And promptly get her heart stomped on when Seven admitted to only seeing her as a mentor/mother figure. Scowling at the depressing turn her thoughts had taken she groaned as someone rang the chime

“Come!” she snapped, regretting her sharp tone when Seven herself walked in. Feeling a little startled at the object of her thoughts walking in, Kathryn took a long, slow sip of coffee to stall as she gathered her thoughts.

Only for the coffee to go down the wrong way.

Coughing, she spat up some coffee all over her uniform and, unfortunately, Seven’s front, the dark brown liquid now staining Seven’s blue biosuit

To make matters worse, the former drone looked decidedly disgusted, absently patting at the stain with a clear look of revulsion

“Are you all right, Seven?” Kathryn asked

“I should be asking you that” Seven countered

“I’m fine,” Kathryn dismissed, already rooting around in her desk drawers for a towel “did you want something?” she asked as she handed Seven the towel

“Yes,” in an uncharacteristic move, Seven suddenly sat down on the edge of the desk, crossing one leg over the other as she handed Kathryn a PADD “I would like to invite you dinner”

“Dinner?” Kathryn echoed as she took the PADD

“Yes,” seeming to realize how strange she looked, Seven quickly stood up and assumed her usual at attention stance “you’ve been working on the negations with Ny’mar that I thought you might need to relax”

Kathryn smiled, touched by the offer, even as mind unhelpfully supplied various ways that dinner could end

“Well, I’m grateful for the offer, Seven,” she began “but, unfortunately, I can’t,” she gestured to the stacks of PADDs on the desk “I’ve got about a dozen more request forms to fill out. Sorry”

Seven looked crestfallen

“I see,” she nodded “of course. Some other time perhaps?”

“Definitely,” Kathryn nodded

Seven nodded back, suddenly looking up sharply, as if hearing something

“Seven?” Kathryn questioned as Seven looked around the room frantically

“Damn it!” she spat before she suddenly stumbled. Lunging, Kathryn caught her

“Seven, what is it? What’s wrong?” she asked

Seven blinked and looked around confused

“Captain?” she questioned

“Yes” Kathryn answered

“What am I doing here?” Seven questioned

“You don’t remember?” Kathryn asked, concerned

“No,” Seven shook her head “how long have I been here?”

“About ten minutes, maybe less,” Kathryn explained “what’s the last thing you remember?”

“I was in cargo bay 2,” Seven began “we were discussing my attempts at creative writing”

“Seven, that was last night,” Kathryn explained “come on,” still keeping hold on Seven’s arm she led her to the doors “sick bay” she ordered…

******

“Everything checks out so far” The Doctor remarked as he put down the medical trocorder

“Except I have no recollection of the last twelve hours” Seven pointed out. She glanced at Kathryn as if hoping that older woman had the answers she desperately sought. Smiling weakly, Kathryn took Seven’s hand, squeezing tightly. Looking down at their joined hands, Seven lightly squeezed back

“Come look at this,” The Doctor suddenly called, beckoning them over. He gestured to the console “this Seven’s normal neural pattern,” he began, gesturing to the diagram on the screen “and this,” he pulled up another scan “…is her neural pattern from when she was exposed to the multiple personality pathogen last year. Notice anything?”

“They’re identical” Kathryn realized

“But not quite,” The Doctor pointed out “look at this,” he pulled up the first scan and placed it side-by-side the second one “this second neural pattern is oddly similar to Seven’s own”

“Similar?” Kathryn asked “how?”

“I’m not entirely certain yet” The Doctor admitted

“Is there any danger of the other neural patterns remerging?” Kathryn asked

“So far I’ve only found this one particular neural pattern,” The Doctor explained “but,” he sighed “there is a good chance that the others might reemerge,” he warned “I’d like to recommend that Seven stay in sick bay overnight for observation”

“Captain…” Seven began, only to stop as Kathryn held up a hand

“Its just for the time being” she explained

Seven looked annoyed and finally nodded

“Very well” she acquiesced

“In the meantime, I’ll have Tuvok look over the security logs from last night,” Kathryn explained “I’d like to know just how this other personality was able to walk around the ship in your body and no one noticed”

******

In a few minutes the rest of the senior staff had been assembled in the conference room

“We’ve gone over the security logs from last night,” B’Elanna began “and we found…this” she pulled up the security footage, which showed a length of empty corridor. As they all watched Seven—or, rather, the other personally—suddenly _cartwheeled_ down the corridor

“O…K,” Tom drawled “that’s…different”

“Perhaps the other neural pattern is that of a child” Tuvok suggested

“I don’t think so,” Kathryn shook her head “I think I met them in my ready room, it defiantly wasn’t a child”

“Then who?” Chakotay wondered “aspiring gymnast?”

“Whoever they are we need to know what they were doing for the past twelve hours” Kathryn declared 

“Unfortunately that’s all we found,” B’Elanna explained “the rest of the footage just shows Seven being…Seven”

“Although,” Harry picked up “computer logs show that Seven’s regeneration cycle was interrupted last night about half a minute after it start, after which she—or, rather, _they_ —accessed the ship’s personnel files”

“Anyone’s in particular?” Kathryn asked

“Yes, ma’am,” Harry nodded “yours”

“Mine?” Why?”

Harry shrugged, looking apologetic

“We don’t know” he admitted

“ _Bridge to Captain Janeway_ ”

“Go ahead” Kathryn called back

“ _The Ny’mar are hailing, ma’am. Apparently there’s a problem with our transfer request_ ”

A collective groan rumbled through the conference room

“Understood,” Kathryn sighed “I’ll be right there,” she glanced at the rest of the staff “I don’t care how much time it takes out from filling out those request forms, but I want answers as to what’s happening to Seven. Dismissed”

As the staff filled out of the room, Chakotay stayed behind

“Something on your mind, Commander?” Kathryn asked

Chakotay smirked

“I was just wondering if you would’ve accepted the invitation to dinner if it had actually been Seven asking” he answered with a knowing smirk. Kathryn inwardly sighed, he knew she realized, he knew how she felt about Seven. Refusing to answer, she turned away to look out the viewport.

Chakotay sighed tiredly and turned to leave

“Have it your way, Kathryn,” he shrugged “just remember this, we maybe stuck out here for the rest of ours lives, do you really want to be alone for all that time?”

Not expecting an answer he quietly slipped out of the room, leaving Kathryn with her thoughts…


	3. On Love and Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter THREE! Enjoy folks :=)

******

B’Elanna grimaced as Tom helped her hobble into sick bay

“Easy, easy” Tom urged

“This is your fault” she spat as they crossed the threshold

“Hey, no one know told you to lunge for the puck like that,” Tom countered as Seven sat up upon seeing them “hey, Seven,” Tom greeted “how’s your day been cooped up here with the Doc?” he wondered as he helped B’Elanna onto a biobed

“Aggravating,” Seven answered “fortunately, he deactivated himself for maintenance before I was forced to do so,” she added. She glanced at B’Elanna “what happened?” she asked

“Flyboy here was trying to teach me how to play hockey,” B’Elanna grumbled “I think I twisted my ankle”

“Unfortunate,” Seven noted as Tom ducked into the back to grab a medkit. Now alone for the moment, Seven glanced at B’Elanna “Lieutenant, may I ask you a question?”

B’Elanna looked mildly surprised at the request, but nodded

“Sure. Fire away”

“Your relationship with Ensign Paris,” Seven began hesitantly “it is…complicated?

B’Elanna frowned

“I guess so,” she admitted “all relationships are, really, romantic or not”

“But, in a romantic relationship, the rewards outweigh the complexities?” Seven pushed

“If you’re lucky,” B’Elanna nodded “what’s with the twenty questions?” she wondered “you’re not spying on us again?” she asked

“No,” Seven stated, a faint, but noticeable, blush tainting her cheeks “I…‘learned my lesson’ from that experience,” she explained “but,” she began hesitantly “I am…reconsidering pursing a romantic relationship”

“Oh,” B’Elanna looked suitably surprised “I thought you swore off dating after last time?”

“I did,” Seven agreed “but, I’ve begun considering that perhaps my focus was too…limited”

“Meaning?” B’Elanna questioned

“The Doctor’s lessons on humanoid mating rituals were focused strictly on heterosexual partnerships,” Seven began “however, most humanoids are not strictly heterosexual”

B’Elanna nodded, chuckling

“I see. So, who’s the lucky girl?”

“I would prefer that the individual’s identity remain anonymous for the time being” Seven stated

“Got it,” B’Elanna nodded. Now she was intrigued “does she know?” she wondered “your mystery girl? Does she know about your…interest?”

Seven suddenly looked decidedly crestfallen

“I do not believe so” she admitted

B’Elanna winced, suddenly feeling for Seven, rejection hurt, she knew most of all, being the odd child out growing up. Too Klingon for Humans and too Human for Klingons. Awkwardly reaching out, she lightly patted Seven’s arm

“Hang in there” she said, it felt lame to say, but it seemed to be what Seven needed, as she looked down at B’Elanna’s hand on her arm and then smiled softly, it was a shy smile, which made it all the more charming

“Ahem”

Both women looked up as Tom stood over them, looking decidedly embarrassed. Clearly he’d heard most if not everything

“Sorry,” he muttered as he quickly set about fixing B’Elanna’s ankle “there we go, all done” he proclaimed. Hopping off the biobed, B’Elanna tested her ankle, nodding in satisfaction

“Bye, Seven,” she called out as they left “hey,” B’Elanna suddenly stuck her head back in the doors “a word of advice? Maybe try telling your mystery girl how you feel. You might be surprised”

Seven nodded somewhat stiffly

“Perhaps” she agreed as the doors slid shut. Now alone, Seven laid back down on the biobed, absently looking over as a console beeped rapidly as The Doctor reappeared

“Ah, Seven,” he beamed “I’m sorry to leave you like that,” he apologized “so, anything interesting happen while I was gone?” he asked

“No” Seven lied…

******

“God, now I feel bad” Tom muttered as he and B’Elanna stepped into the turbolift

“So do I,” B’Elanna agreed “I wonder who it is? Seven’s mystery girl”

“Don’t know,” Tom shrugged “whoever it is, we’re not getting involved”

“Really?” B’Elanna asked skeptically “that’s surprising coming from you” she noted

“Hey, I learned my lesson from last time,” Tom objected “OK? I’m not going to get involved in the love life of a woman who can _assimilate_ me”

“All right” B’Elanna conceded

A moment of silence passed between them

“Still,” Tom began suddenly “it does make you wonder who it is”

B’Elanna groaned and rolled her eyes…

******

“ _You must file Form 32-Alpha and Form 33-Gamma together_ before _you can file Forms 40-Delta and 50-Epsilon_ ” the Ny’mar minister explained to a tried Kathryn

“Minster, my crew has already filled out those forms,” Kathryn explained “what I want to know is why its taking so long to get a response back from your transit authority?”

“ _I’m sorry, that’s not my department_ ” the minister apologized

“Well, can I speak to someone whose department it is?” Kathryn wondered

“ _Please hold_ ”

She groaned as the viewscreen went blank, replaced with the Ny’mar symbols that roughly translated to ‘PLEASE STAND BY…’ Realizing that she’d be waiting for a while, she stood up and, grabbing her coffee mug, slipped out of her ready room

“Mr. Tuvok”

“Captain?” Tuvok asked

“I’m currently on hold with Ny’mar” she began

“Most unfortunate” the Vulcan remarked

“Isn’t it though?” Kathryn chuckled “anyway, I’m going to check on Seven, if the Ny’mar deign to respond while I’m gone, please tell them I’m unavailable”

“Aye, Captain,” Tuvok nodded “shall I put them ‘on hold’ as well?”

Kathryn smirked

“Whatever you deem necessary, old friend” she chuckled

******

Entering sick bay, Kathryn found it empty, neither Seven nor The Doctor were anywhere to be seen

“Computer, locate The Doctor” she requested

“ _The EMH is currently off-line_ ”

“Then activate him!” Kathryn exclaimed

“…forced to sedate you!” The Doctor suddenly appeared in his office mid-stride

“Doctor?” Kathryn questioned

“I’m sorry, Captain,” the hologram sighed “our…‘guest’ made a reappearance. They deactivated me”

“What?” Kathryn demanded “computer, locate Seven of Nine” she demanded

“ _Seven of Nine is in sick bay_ ” the computer dutifully replied. Looking around, Kathryn sighed as she spotted a glint of gold on one of the consoles. Sighing she walked over and picked up Seven’s combadge

“Clever,” she muttered, tapping her own combadge “Janeway to Tuvok”

“ _Go ahead_ ”

“Seven’s other personality has resurfaced,” she explained as she hurried out of the sick bay, The Doctor quickly catching up with her after transferring hisself to the mobile emitter “they’re somewhere on the ship” Kathryn continued

“ _Understood,_ ” Tuvok replied “ _I’ll dispatch security teams_ ”

“No,” Kathryn objected “we don’t want to tip our hand. Scan the ship for Seven’s biosign”

“ _Acknowledged,_ ” there was a pause as Tuvok did as requested “ _curious, internal scans show that she is in Astrometrics_ ” he reported

“Is there anyone with her?” Kathryn asked as she and The Doctored hurried into a turbolift

“ _Yes. Lt. Torres_ ” Tuvok reported

“Understood,” Kathryn sighed as she and The Doctor reached Astrometrics. As the doors slid open she was confronted with a surprising sight.

B’Elanna and Seven stood on the main dais in the lab, both laughing.

“B’Elanna?” Kathryn questioned

“Oh, Captain,” B’Elanna smiled “its all right,” she assured Kathryn as she gestured to Seven “she’s harmless”

“I see,” Kathryn remarked as she and The Doctor cautiously approached “and _who_ is she?” she asked

“Oh,” Seven turned, beaming a shy smile “I’m sorry,” she offered a hand, warmly shaking Kathryn’s own “for some reason I keep thinking you’ll know me,” she apologized “I’m Annika,” she introduced herself “Annika Hansen”


	4. Thirty Years is a Long Time to be Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FOUR! Enjoy! :=)

******

Kathryn stared at Seven—or, rather, at _Annika Hansen_ —as she sat on the biobed, looking decidedly bored as she idly kicked her legs like a child

“Doctor? Explanations? Theories?” Kathryn pushed

“As near as I can tell,” the EMH began “it appears that when Seven was assimilated a part of her mind remained intact, dormant, but intact”

“The second neural pattern?” Kathryn guessed

“Yes,” The Doctor nodded “it appears that Annika’s neural pattern has been aware for some time, possibly since the moment we severed Seven’s link to the Collective, slowly growing and learning”

“Learning?” Kathryn asked “how?”

In answer The Doctor pulled up a scan

“It appears that, unlike the other neural patterns we encountered, Seven and Annika’s are interconnected,” he explained “separate and distinct, yes, but sharing some fundamental aspects, they both appear to share certain memory emgrams. That could explain why she said ‘I keep thinking that you’ll know me’.”

“A symbiotic relationship?” Kathryn wondered

“In a way,” The Doctor nodded as he pulled up another scan “the previous neural patterns weren’t self aware, they were almost like ‘echoes’ or, to be more accurate, imprints of the individuals,” he began “but, Annika’s neural pattern is showing clear evidence of self-awareness, she _knows_ that she’s a neural pattern separate from Seven’s own, even though she shares Seven’s memories”

“That makes sense,” B’Elanna spoke up “when she came into Astronetrics, she acted like she knew me, but not personally. Like she knew _of_ me, you know? Like I was a friend of a friend”

Kathryn nodded slowly

“Regardless,” Tuvok spoke up “we must ascertain whether or not Ms. Hansen poses a security risk. She was able to roam the ship, unnoticed, for twelve hours,” he reminded them “and her knowledge of the ship and its crew could be used against us”

“Why don’t you _ask_ her instead of acting like she isn’t in the room?” Annika loudly called, slapping a hand against the force field separating her from the others “I have _ears_ you know?” she added with a scowl

Kathryn glanced back at The Doctor

“What about Seven’s neural pattern?” she asked

“As far as I ascertain, it appears that Seven’s neural pattern is currently dormant,” The Doctor explained “in fact, my scans are showing similar activity to REM sleep. In essence, she’s asleep”

Kathryn nodded slowly

“So, when Annika’s in control of Seven’s body, Seven’s mind is dormant, and when Seven’s in control…”

“It stands to reason that Annika’s neural pattern would also be dormant” The Doctor nodded as Kathryn approached the force field and assessed Annika

“So, you know what you are” she began

“I’m a neural pattern coexisting within Seven’s cortical implants,” Annika answered “yes”

“And you know all of us” Kathryn continued

“Nor personally, no, but yes”

“So, now the question is, what do we do with you” Kathryn wondered

Annika smirked, the expression odd on Seven’s face

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” she explained “I don’t even want control of Seven’s body, I’m willing to share, I just…,” she trailed off with a frustrated sigh “I want to be noticed” she finally sighed

Kathryn nodded slowly

“Can you allow me to talk Seven?” she asked

Annika frowned

“I don’t know,” she admitted “I can try” she closed her eyes, taking a breath. Almost instantly her demeanor changed, her stance straightening as her eyes suddenly flew open

“Captain?” Seven questioned in confusion. The change was remarkable and clear, the difference in tone of voice, body language, it was clear that Seven was now back in control of her body

“You had another visitor,” Kathryn explained gently as Seven looked decidedly disturbed “a young woman. Named ‘Annika Hansen’.”

Seven stared at her as the force field deactivated

“Impossible,” she stated “ _I_ am Annika Hansen”

“Actually,” The Doctor spoke up “I’m afraid not, the neurological changes that the Borg made to your cerebral structure during your assimilation changed fundamental aspects of your personality. In effect you aren’t Annika Hansen anymore”

Seven nodded stiffly

“Were there…others?” she asked “like before?”

Kathryn looked back at The Doctor

“Doctor?” she questioned

“It appears that only Annika’s neural pattern has emerged this time” he explained

“There’s more,” Kathryn explained “it seems that Annika is aware of what she is, that is to say she knows that she’s a neural pattern”

“How?” Seven questioned

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Kathryn shrugged. She reached out, squeezing Seven’s shoulder “we’ll get through this, Seven” she promised…

******

Kathryn paced the length of her ready room. Standing by the desk, Chakotay patiently waited for her to speak, when she didn’t, he took the initiative

“I’ve never seen you this agitated before” he remarked

“That’s because I’ve never been this conflicted before,” Kathryn sighed “the other neural patterns were like echoes, they weren’t ‘real’ people. But this time…” she trailed off

“You’re thinking that Annika Hansen might actually be sentient?” Chakotay wondered

“Well why not?” Kathryn wondered “look at The Doctor, he started out as just a very sophisticated computer program, but he grew, developed, learned from the world around him”

“And think that Annika’s done the same?” Chakotay suggested

“Maybe, maybe not, I don’t know,” Kathryn sighed as she ran a hand through her hair “all I do know is that Seven’s been through so much these past few years, the Borg queen, the _Equinox_ , the tsunkatse matches. I honestly don’t know how much more she can take”

“She’ll get through it” Chakotay assured her

“How can you be so sure?” Kathryn wondered

Chkotay smirked

“Because she’s like you,” he stated “stubborn as hell. That’s probably why you’re attracted to her”

Kathryn groaned

“Look,” Chakotay began, joining her up on the sofa “just forget _Voyager_ for a second and answer me honestly; are you attracted to her, yes or no?”

Kathryn sighed

“Yes,” she admitted “but that doesn’t change anything,” she object “Seven’s…young….innocent”

“No, she’s not,” Chakotay countered “inexperienced? Certainly, but innocent? No,” he rested a hand on her arm “Kathryn, do you really want to be alone for the next thirty years?”

“I don’t have time to devote to a relationship,” Kathryn objected as she stood up and busied herself at the replicator “and I certainly can’t involved with a member of my crew”

“Well then that leaves either a hologram, or a stranger,” Chakotay pointed out “in which case, your partner might ask you stay with them rather than continue on to the Alpha Quadrant,” he pointed “you may not know this, but Tom and B’Elanna aren’t the only crewmembers to pair up,” he began “Harry Kim’s dating Tal Celes from Astrometrics. Lt. Salazar in Engineering is dating Ensign Marcus in hydroponics. Even I’ve paired up with someone”

That made Kathryn turn around

“You?” she echoed “with who?” 

“Marla Gilmore”

“From the _Equinox_?”

“The very same,” Chakotay nodded “so, you see? The crew understands that we’re going to be out here, far from home, for a very long time. In fact the only one who doesn’t seems to be _you_ ”

Kathryn glowered at him as he sighed

“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for” he apologized

“No,” she realized softly “it wasn’t…”


	5. Interlink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FIVE! Enjoy folks! :=)

******

B’Elanna looked up as Seven entered Engineering

“So, who am I talking to right now?” she wondered teasingly

Seven merely scowled

“Annika Hansen has yet to make a reappearance” she stated

“Too bad,” B’Elanna remarked “I kind of liked her”

Seven raised a surprised eyebrow but said nothing aside from

“I see”

B’Elanna smirked

“Come look at this,” she beckoned Seven over to a console and pulled up a subspace scan “look familiar?”

“A Borg interlink frequency,” Seven identified “from where?” she asked

“It’s coming right from the heart of Ny’mar space” B’Elanna explained

“The Ny’mar said that they have never encountered the Borg before” Seven reminded her

“Well, I don’t know about you,” B’Elanna began, crossing her arms “but if I wanted to make sure that other people didn’t find out that I was secretly hording advanced technology…” she trailed off

“You believe the Ny’mar are intentionally delaying us in order to prevent us from discovering any Borg technology they possess?” Seven asked

“Maybe,” B’Elanna shrugged. She sighed and rubbed at her eyes “I don’t know,” she admitted “maybe I’m just feeling paranoid because I’m frustrated as hell about all these stupid forms I have to fill out”

“Perhaps,” Seven agreed “perhaps not,” she nodded to the viewscreen “look. The signal originates from a planetoid that we’ve previously identified as a military outpost”

“I’ll be damned,” B’Elanna muttered “so,” she began “do you want to tell the captain, or should I?”

******

“Not that I don’t believe you both.” Kathryn began as she studied the PADD that Seven and B’Elanna had presented her with “but this is hardly conclusive”

“The signal is a Borg interlink frequency,” Seven reaffirmed “it can’t be faked”

“And there’s nothing else out there that could be mimicking the signal?” Kathryn asked “Ny’mar transmissions perhaps?”

“No” Seven stated

“We think this is part of the reason why Annika Hansen suddenly surfaced,” B’Elanna explained “just like Seven’s other personalities surfaced when we encountered the Borg vinculum last year”

Kathryn glanced back at the PADD, nodding slowly

“All right,” she agreed “let’s agree—for now at least—that the Ny’mar _do_ have Borg technology and are intentionally stonewalling us, the question is why?”

“Borg technology is extremely advanced,” Seven reminded her “if repurposed the various uses are endless—medicine, propulsion, weapons. A sample of my own nanoprobes could be easily reprogrammed to repair extensive cell damage”

“Or be turned into a biogenic weapon,” B’Elanna added “like what we used against Species 8472”

“Precisely” Seven nodded

Kathryn sighed and looked between the two women

“Let’s keep this between us for now,” she stated “but inform Chakotay and Tuvok. Dismissed,”

As the two turned to leave, Kathryn called out to Seven

“Stay a minute?” she invited. Seven paused and then stepped back, the doors to the ready room shutting behind her “how are you holding up?” Kathryn asked softly

Seven considered the question

“It is…difficult,” she began “at first I found the experience frightening, yet now…”

“Now what?” Kathryn pressed gently

“I find myself oddly…wishing I could speak to Annika,” Seven admitted “to understand her”

Kathryn smiled softly, the sight of which made Seven feel warm

“I would’ve have thought that you’d want to get rid of her” she remarked

“Not yet,” Seven stated “you’ve often encouraged me to be objective, to ‘see both sides’ of an argument, that is what I am attempting to do now,” she explained “if Annika is indeed harmless, then there is no reason to try and eliminate or contain her”

Kathryn chuckled

“Oh, Seven,” she sighed “you certainly have come a long way”

Seven gave a slight smirk in response…

******

Exiting the ready room, Seven nodded in acknowledgment at Chakotay, pausing as she reached the turbolift

“Commander?”

Chakotay turned

“Yes?” he asked

“May I speak to you?” Seven asked “alone?”

Chakotay looked mildly surprised, but nodded, gesturing towards the conference room

“After you” he invited…

******

“So, what’s on your mind?” Chakotay asked as they entered the conference room

“I have heard you speak of an altered state of consciousness from time to time” Seven stated

Chakotay nodded

“You mean a vision quest,” he guessed “what about it?”

“Could it allow me to ‘speak’ to Annika Hansen?” Seven asked

Chakotay frowned, turning the question over in his mind

“I’m not sure,” he admitted “generally a vision quest is used to resolve an internal conflict, to ask and answer questions you’d normally be too afraid to ask,” he explained “but,” he began “seeing as how Annika Hansen _is_ a part of you, I don’t see why not”

“How do I prepare?” Seven asked

“You’ll need a medicine bundle,” Chakotay explained “a group of items that have great personal significance to you”

Seven’s face fell

“I have no such items” she stated

Chakotay smirked

“I doubt that” he chuckled…


	6. Second Sight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter SIX! Enjoy! :=)

******

Seven arrived at Chakotay’s quarters at precisely 0800 hours. Chakotay smirked but said nothing as she came in

“I’ve found several items that I presume would be suitable as a ‘medicine bundle’,” she stated, gesturing to the small group of items in her hands “I hope it meets your approval”

“It doesn’t work like that,” Chakotay explained as he gestured for her join him on the floor “the items have to be important to _you_ ,” he explained. He gestured to items in her hands “so, let’s see what you’ve got,”

In answer, Seven carefully set each item down. A PADD, a tricorder, and what looked like a phase inverter. Chakotay hide his smirk, it was very like Seven to chose tools for her medicine bundle. Picking up the PADD, he turned it on, finding an image of Kathryn displayed on the screen. It was a candid shot, probably taken on a spur of the moment.

Glancing up at Seven, he raised an eyebrow but said nothing and set it back down.

“Normally the vision quest would began with a ritual,” he began “but something tells me that you wouldn’t appreciate that”

“Is the ritual strictly necessary?” Seven asked

“For me? Yes,” Chakotay answered “for you? I don’t know”

“I would rather…not” Seven stated hesitantly

Chakotay nodded

“I have to warn you,” he began “this isn’t a guarantee; it’ll take time to interpret what you’ll see during the vision quest”

“I understand” Seven stated with her usual Borg arrogance

Chakotay smirked grimly in response as he slid the _akoonah_ towards her

“Place your hand on the _akoonah_ ,” he instructed “and let your mind go blank. Look inside to where Annika Hansen is”

Taking a breath, Seven closed her eyes…

******

_Borg drones passed about the interior of the cube, their quiet, monotonous pace was familiar to Seven, even comforting in a way. Turning, she suddenly froze as she came face to face with herself as a drone_

_The doppelganger suddenly grabbed her by the throat, pushing back until Seven was pinned to a wall_

_“State your designation” it ordered_

_“Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01” Seven gasped out, struggling against the iron grip on her windpipe, which only tightened as the drone glowered at her_

_“Insufficient. State your designation.” it ordered. It suddenly smiled “just accept who you are” it pleaded softly_

_“I am….Seven of Nine” Seven panted out, the grip on her throat suddenly vanished as the drone released her. Turning it pointed towards a door_

_“Through there” it stated_

_Cautiously, Seven stepped through the door, finding herself in a barren wasteland. Storm clouds obscured the sky as lightning flashed off in the distance. The only thing of notice in the otherwise flat and empty landscape was a lone, dead tree, under which sat a young woman_

_Approaching her, Seven reared back in surprise as she found an exact double of as she was now looking up at her_

_The double laughed hysterically as she saw Seven_

_“Who are am I?” it asked “who are you?”_

******

Seven gasped as she jerked back to reality, panting for breath

“Easy,” Chakotay gently took her arm “just breath,” he soothed “you’re all right”

Slowly, Seven got her breathing under control

“I am…all right,” she shakily stammered out “thank you”

Chakotay looked doubtful but nodded

“So did it work?” he wondered “did you speak to Annika?”

Seven considered the question

“No,” she answered “but…I think I gained an understanding all the same…”


	7. Matchmaker Make Me a Match

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter SEVEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

B’Elanna looked up as Tom came into her quarters. He looked around in clear confusion, giving the bouquet of flowers in his hand a little shake

“Did you forget?” he asked “dinner?” he prompted

B’Elanna blinked, groaning as she did suddenly remember

“Oh god,” she ran a hand through her hair “sorry. Its just I’ve been so busy lately with trying to find this Borg interlink frequency,” she held up the PADD in her hands before tossing it aside “there, done, I am officially off duty” she proclaimed

“Good to hear,” Tom remarked as he came in, quickly requesting a vase of water from the replicator for the flowers “so, any progress on finding the source of that interlink frequency?” he wondered as he replicated two plates of pasta with sauce

B’Elanna shook her head as she joined him at the table

“No, it keeps moving around,” she explained “from a planet to a moon, to an asteroid, to randomly moving around”

“Maybe its on a ship” Tom suggested

“Maybe,” B’Elann muttered. She sighed and shook her head “I don’t want to talk about this anymore” she requested

“OK, sure,” Tom nodded as he picked up his fork “no problem,”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence until Tom spoke up again

“So, did your friend pay you another visit?” he asked

“Who? Annika?” B’Elanna asked “no. Not yet anyway”

“You…kinda like her, don’t you?” Tom guessed

B’Elanna smirked

“Let’s just say that it’s a nice change from Seven’s usual personality” she chuckled

“Oh come on, Seven’s not that bad once you get to know her,” Tom objected “you just haven’t given her the chance”

B’Elanna frowned thoughtfully

“I suppose I haven’t,” she admitted “when you think about it, we’re a lot alike” she realized

“How so?” Tom asked

“Well,” she began “when you think about it, we’re both…hybrids in a way. I’m half-Klingon, she’s half-Borg”

“Huh,” now it was Tom’s turn to look thoughtful “never looked at like that” he remarked as the chime rang

“Now what?” B’Elanna muttered as she called out for whoever it was to come in. As the doors slid open they revealed Seven leaning casually leaning against the wall

“Evening” she greeted with a smile

“Well, speak of the devil,” Tom commented “we were just talking about you. You must be Annika”

“And you must be Tom,” Annika nodded “mind if I come in?”

Tom and B’Elanna looked between each other

“Sure,” B’Elanna nodded “have a seat” she invited.

Beaming, Annika came in and plopped down in a chair

“So, what brings you by?” Tom wondered

“I need your help,” Annika answered “both of you” she gestured between them, causing considerable confusion

“Uh…sure,” Tom nodded “with what?”

“Matchmaking,” Annika answered “see, I know who Seven’s interested in” she grinned

“You do?” B’Elanna asked, clearly interested

Annika looked surprised

“You mean you two don’t know?” she asked in clear surprise. She beckoned them close, as if telling them a secret “it’s Janeway!” she exclaimed

Tom and B’Elanna both choked…


	8. There is No I in 'Team'...But There May Be in 'Idiot'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter EIGHT! Enjoy! :=)

******

“How do we know this isn’t a trick?” Harry asked

“Harry,” Tom laughed “do you ever Seven doing… _that_?” he gestured to where Annika was busy by the replicator, happily indulging her appetite. Looking up, she smiled and nodded at Harry around a mouthful of double chocolate cake

“O…K,” Harry nodded slowly “I’ll admit that’s…unusual,” he allowed “but…Seven being attracted to the Captain?”

Annika hiccupped and then tapped her combadge

“Annika Hansen to Chakotay. Could you come to B’Elanna’s quarters please?” she requested

There was a pause before Chakotay’s bemused voice answered

“ _On my way_ ” he chuckled, clearly unable to keep the smile out of his voice

“Oh, now you’re going to me that _he_ knows too?” Harry asked skeptically

Annika glanced at Tom and then jerked her thumb at Harry

“He always this dense?” she asked “Harry, Chakotay’s her first officer, he’s around her nearly all day. He probably knows her better than her own _mother_ does now” she explained as the chime rang

“Come in” B’Elanna called out, clearly trying not to laugh at Harry’s expense. The doors slid open to reveal a smirking Chakotay

“You summoned me, Ms. Hansen?” he chuckled as he sat down

“OK, good, we’re all here,” Annika moved to sit down only to pause as she twisted and rolled her shoulders “how does she wear this thing?” she wondered, tugging at the biosuit’s collar uncomfortably “anyway. Matchmaking. So, ideas? Go”

“Invite them both to the holodeck?” Tom suggested

“Hmm, no,” Chakotay shook his head “the Captain’ll just find some excuse not to go. Reports or the like”

“Not to mention that interlink frequency” B’Elanna added

“I’m working on that,” Annika dismissed “what?” she asked at the confusion of the others “I have one of the most advanced biological computers ever created in my head. Trust me, I could do it in my sleep. Or, rather, should I say, _Seven_ could do it in her sleep”

“So that’s what she’s doing right now” Chakotay realized

“We reached an agreement,” Annika nodded “I help her with her Janeway problem, and she gets all the time she wants in our head to research long-range scans of Ny’mar space”

“She _definitely_ needs a date” B’Elanna declared

“Wait, how did you reach an agreement?” Harry asked “I thought you weren’t aware of what the other did?”

“They’re communicating through notes,” Chakotay explained “Annika makes a suggest and Seven answers, all through a PADD”

“Must make for interesting arguments” Tom remarked

“Can we all focus on the matter at hand please?” Annika asked

“What do you get out of this?” Harry asked

“Hopefully Janeway’s undying appreciation,” Annika smirked “but, realistically, I just want to do something _good_ ”

“So, you’re just content to just…stay stuck in Seven’s head?” Harry asked “what if we could build you a body? Maybe transfer your neural pattern to a holomatrix?” he suggested

“Oh. Great,” Annika drawled sarcastically “so, instead of being stuck in Seven’s cortical array, I’ll be stuck in either the holodeck or sick bay. Hmm, let me think about that…N-O!” she practically yelled the last word in Harry’s face, while Tom lobbed a pillow at his head for good mesure

“Children,” Chakotay coughed “can we focus?”

“All right,” B’Elanna grabbed a PADD “let’s make a list…”

******

Meanwhile, Kathryn sank onto her sofa in her quarters with a long drawn out tired sigh. Tucking an arm under her head she stared at the ceiling for a moment before she sat up suddenly

“Computer, access all files relating the Ny’mar” she requested

“ _There are approximately twenty thousand files on record relating to specified search pattern_ ” the computer replied

Kathryn smirked

“Narrow search parameters to historical records, cross-reference all entries relating to contact with other species,” Kathryn specified “how many entries are there now?”

“ _One thousand_ ”

“Cross-reference all entries relating to _any_ contact with a cybernetic species,” Kathryn requested “now, how many files are there now?”

“ _Twenty_ ”

Kathryn grinned

“Got you,” she hissed, quickly getting up and moving over to her desk “display files on my terminal” she requested, quickly scrolling through the entries. She probably wouldn’t be getting much, if any, sleep tonight but if it helped Seven then it was worth it.

Regardless of the reasons…


	9. Mission Statements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter NINE! Enjoy! :=)

******

The rest of the evening passed without incident, a slightly annoyed Seven reappeared in the middle of Annika’s conversation with Harry, much to Harry’s clear disappointment, Tom stayed over at B’Elanna’s, Chakotay escorted Seven back to cargo bay two and then went to bed himself, and Kathryn Janeway stayed up half the night looking over the Ny’mar records on encounters with who she was now reasonably sure was the Borg.

As her shift started the next day, a decidedly caffeine-wired Captain Janeway shuffled onto the Bridge, asked for an update from Chakotay (the Ny’mar were _still_ asking for more forms to be filled out he reported) and then shuffled off into her ready room where she stayed for most of her shift.

As the alpha shift transitioned into the beta shift, Chakotay came into the ready room bearing a series of reports for Kathryn to look over along with a bouquet of flowers.

Kathryn blinked as she saw the dozen red roses

“Is it my birthday or something?” she asked

“Nope,” Chakotay smiled “it seems you have a secret admirer,” he explained as he handed her the flowers “Ensign Harris from airponics dropped these off a few minutes ago” he added for effect. Actually he’d replicated them himself just ten seconds ago in the grace period between the two Bridges shifts

Kathryn smirked as she gave the flowers a sniff. Smiling softly, she looked somewhat wistful as she looked up at him again

“Anything to report?” she asked

“Not much,” Chakotay replied, handing her the PADDs “Annika Hansen made a reappearance last night”

Kathryn looked up sharply

“Oh?” she asked “I see, and just what did she do?”

“Not too much,” Chakotay dismissed “apparently she stopped by B’Elanna’s quarters and had dinner with her and Tom. According to B’Elanna, Annika cleaned out their entire replicator menu before Seven made a reappearance”

“I’m sure Seven appreciated that,” Kathryn smirked, but it looked force “how’s she doing?” she asked softly “Seven? I hear that she asked to you help her with a vision quest”

“She did,” Chakotay nodded as he took a seat “I won’t violate her privacy by telling you what she saw in the vision quest, but I can tell you that she and Annika seemed to have reached an agreement”

Kathryn looked intrigued

“Oh? In what way?” she asked

“Well, apparently, unless we can find a solution, they’ve agreed to share custody of Seven’s body,” Chakotay explained with shrug “apparently they’ve even come up with a way of communicating via a notes system”

“I’m not sure how I feel about somebody else sharing space in Seven’s head” Kathryn remarked

“Perhaps not,” Chakotay agreed “but its Seven’s body and thus her choice,” he reminded her “is there a card?” he pointed towards the roses “with the flowers?”

“Oh,” Kathryn looked surprised “I hadn’t checked,” gently sifting through the blooms she unearthed a slim white card “ _‘to Kathryn Janeway, a woman who lights up the room whenever I see her’_ ” she read, frowning

“Certainly sounds like a secret admirer to me” Chakotay remarked

“Yes. That’s what bothers me”

Chakotay just barely repressed his annoyed sigh. So close! Why did she have to be so damned stubborn?

“Kathryn…” he began, but she held up a hand

“I know what you’re going to say,” she sighed “that I can’t spend the rest of my life alone, that I can’t just shut off my emotions like a Vulcan, believe me, I’ve had this argument with myself more times than I can count, but I can’t spare valuable time on a romantic relationship. Not here in the Delta Quadrant,” she picked up a PADD off her desk and held it out to him “case in point”

“What’s this?” he asked as he skimmed its contents

“Ny’mar records on past first contacts,” Kathryn explained “it seems that they had at least twenty encounters with a race of ‘cybernetic creatures’ over the past half century”

“The Borg?”

She nodded

“It certainly looks that way,” she sighed “now do you see why I can’t accept the offer that goes with these?” she held up the flowers, turning towards the replicator, clearly planning on recycling them

“No, I don’t see why,” Chakotay countered, which stopped her “if this person truly has feelings for you—which I think they do—then they’d be willing and understanding of the fact that your have a responsibility to _Voyager_ and her crew. But that doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice your happiness and emotional wellbeing for the sake of us”

Kathryn slowly turned to face him

“It’s not you, is it?” she asked

Chakotay smirked

“No,” he answered “but I do have an idea”

“So? Who is it?” Kathryn pushed

“Seven” Chakotay answered

She stared at him, eyes wide

“Seven?” she echoed “that’s impossible. Chakotay she’s still—”

“Still what?” he interrupted “still innocent? Still a child? No, she’s not, and you’re insulting both her and yourself by refusing to acknowledge that fact. Is she inexperienced? Yes, of course. But she won’t grow and develop as an individual if she’s prevented from gaining any experience, good and bad”

“All right,” Kathryn began “let’s say for a moment that I agree with you and I actually enter into a romantic relationship with Seven. What if it doesn’t work? What then?”

“Then it doesn’t work,” Chakotay shrugged “that’s not either of your faults, but at least you tried. And at least Seven had the chance to experience it and you had a chance at happiness”

“You make it sound so easy” Kathryn scoffed

“And you’re making it more difficult than it has to be,” he challenged “you said ‘enter into a romantic relationship with Seven’, you’re treating ir like its some kind of away mission, its not,” he stood up, gently walking towards her and taking her hands “Kathryn,” he began softly “just for once, stop thinking like a Starfleet captain” he pleaded…


	10. What's In a Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

Borg drones passed by Seven as she hurried down the corridor. Panic seized her chest, squeezing her lungs as she watched more and more Borg technology erupt from the walls of _Voyager’s_ once pristine corridors. Rounding the corner she froze as a partially assimilated Chakotay stood before her

“Seven of Nine,” he identified flatly. He titled his head at her quizzically “state your designation”

“No” panting, Seven staggered back, turning only to skid to a stop as the rest of the ship’s senior staff—all of whom had been assimilated—blocked her path

“Your argument is flawed,” Tuvok intoned “insufficient. An individual cannot be Borg and Human at the same time”

“They can only be one or the other” B’Elanna intoned

“Not both” Tom added

“You must chose” Harry added

“A simple task” the assimilated Neelix added as the figure of a partially assimilated Kathryn Janeway emerged from the haze. Her hair was almost completely gone, her skin bore the familiar grey, mottled pallor of a Borg drone

“State your designation, Seven of Nine,” she ordered “what are you? Human….or Borg?”

“I don’t understand!” Seven exclaimed as she frantically looked around for an opening, an exit

“She is afraid” Tuvok noted

“The unity of the Collective can remove fear” Chakotay stated

“Purge it” B’Elanna added

“That is not what she desires” Kathryn objected as another figure emerged from the haze, the Borg drone known as Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01

“You must chose” it stated

“Chose _what?!_ ” Seven demanded “what do you want from me?! I don’t understand!!”

“Are you certain of that?” Chakotay asked “have you analyzed all the factors?”

“Chose your designation,” Seven’s double stated “Human or Borg?”

“Human” Seven panted

The doppelganger tilted her head at her

“Insufficient,” it stated “you are no longer fully Human. Therefore you cannot chose Humanity”

“But she is no longer fully Borg” Kathryn stated

“She cannot be both,” Seven’s double objected “one voice, and one mind. Insignificant. Insufficient”

“No,” Seven objected, a sudden realization occurring to her “it isn’t”

Her assimilated crewmates vanished, as did the Borg technology littering the corridor, leaving only her double. Slowly the double approached her, her implants vanishing completely to be replaced with a sciences division Starfeet uniform. Smiling softly, she held out a hand to Seven

“Come with me” she invited

“Where?” Seven asked

The double smiled mysteriously

“Home” she answered

“ _Warning: regeneration cycle incomplete_ ”

Gasping, Seven staggered out of her alcove, stumbling off the dais she collapsed to the cargo bay’s floor on her hands and knees. Panting harshly she tried to make sense of what she had experienced

“I...am…Seven of Nine,” she realized “no one else”

Slowly sitting up, she did something she very possibly hadn’t since she was a child. She laughed, the joyful sound echoing off the walls as she laughed with the freedom of someone who realized that they were finally free of their torturous past…

******

Kathryn looked up from her book at the chime at her door

“Come,” she called, the doors sliding open to reveal Seven who confidently strode in. Kathryn sat up a bit straighter “Seven, what can I do for you?”

Seven took a breath, pausing as she saw the vase with the roses in it. Frowning, she slowly walked over to it, studying the blooms intently

“A gift from a secret admirer,” Kathryn as she got up and joined Seven “Chakotay seems to think that they’re from you” she chuckled

“That’s because they are” Seven stated quietly

Kathryn visibly froze, jaw gapping as Seven slowly turned to face her, smiling softly

“Seven…” Kathryn began, only to be cut off as Seven held up a hand

“You see me as…young, inexperienced,” she began “and I am. But, I cannot successfully grow as an individual if I am constantly denied the opportunities based upon that belief”

Kathryn smirked

“You know, Chakotay said something very similar to me today” she remarked

“No doubt he did,” Seven nodded “It seems that he and Annika have been conspiring without my knowledge. Although, I do not object”

“Seven,” Kathryn sighed “it’s more complicated than you’re—”

“No. It is not,” Seven stated “I am attracted to you. Just as, I suspect, you are to me. The only question that remains is what do we do about this mutual attraction? Acting upon it may cause problems, yet it may not. But, even one as ‘inexperienced’ as I, knows that to ignore it would be detrimental to us both”

“Well,” Kathryn huffed “it seems like you’ve got this all figured out”

“In a sense,” Seven nodded. She softened suddenly “what is it you wish to do?” she asked quietly

“What if I asked to you leave?” Kathryn wondered “to never speak of this again. What would you do?”

“I would leave,” Seven answered softly “no matter how much it would hurt”

Kathryn sighed feeling tired, drained, even as she found herself reaching out, drawing Seven close. Burying her face in the crook of Seven’s neck she let out a shaky breath

“It won’t be easy” she warned

“I know” Seven agreed as she pulled Kathryn close. Pulling away slightly, Kathryn looked up and then, before her nerve left her, she reached up, cupping Seven’s face and pulling her in for a gentle, yet passionate, kiss, one which Seven returned eagerly…


	11. The Light of a New Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter ELEVEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

Seven blinked as she looked around, realizing that she was still in Kathryn’s quarters, laying on the sofa atop Kathryn

“Good morning,”

Turning, Seven looked down at Kathryn who smiled softly up at her

“How are you feeling?” she asked

“Confused,” Seven answered as she slowly sat up, wincing at the slight soreness radiating throughout her whole body “I slept?” she asked in clear amazement

“Hmm,” Kathryn nodded as she sat up as well “quite deeply” she added

“I’ve never slept before” Seven admitted

“So, what’d you think?” Kathryn wondered with a smile

Seven considered the question

“It was an…interesting experience,” she admitted slowly. She looked up and gave Kathryn a shy smile “however, I wouldn’t object to trying it again if I have you for company”

Kathryn chuckled

“Sweet-talker,” she laughed as she reached out, gently cupping Seven’s face, frowning when Seven suddenly looked away as one of Kathryn’s fingers grazed her ocular implant. Reaching out, Kathryn gently cupped Seven’s chin, tilting her head to look her in the eye “don’t do that,” she requested. She reached up, gently tracing the outline of the ocular implant “ _never_ be ashamed of these” she stated firmly

“I am no longer fully Human” Seven pointed out softly

Kathryn smiled, pulling the younger woman in for a kiss

“I don’t care,” she stated as their lips touched. Pulling away, Kathryn smiled at the slightly dazed expression on Seven’s face “I’m curious,” Kathryn began “not that I’m complaining, but…what made you suddenly decide to act on your feelings for me?”

Seven frowned, looking away thoughtfully for a moment

“I had a dream,” she admitted softly “regeneration is not like sleep,” she explained “Borg drones don’t dream”

“But you do?” Kathryn guessed

“On occasion” Seven nodded

“So, what was this dream about?”

Seven frowned, a faraway look in her eyes

“I can’t explain it,” she admitted “but….I came to a revelation. About myself, my identity…” she trailed off

“Go on,” Kathryn encouraged “tell me”

Slowly, Seven turned to face her, her expression thoughtful

“For the past three years you have encouraged me to reclaim my Humanity,” she began “and while I have fully regained and embraced my individuality, I am no longer fully Human,” she held up her hands, one Borg, one Human “I am no longer a member of the Collective and have no desire to return. But…I am still Borg, and I always will be”

Kathryn nodded slowly, smiling softly

“I think I understand,” she said “the shared goal, the unity, the quest for perfection, you can still experience those aboard _Voyager_ ”

“Yes,” Seven exclaimed, looking surprised and pleased that Kathryn had figured it out “exactly”

“But you said something about your identity,” Kathryn recalled “what did you mean by that?”

“I am no longer ‘Annika Hansen’,” Seven explained “but, since I am no longer a drone, I am no longer the ‘Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01’. I am merely…” she trailed off

“…Seven of Nine” Kathryn finished

Seven smiled, nodding

“Yes,” she said. Her smile widened slightly “and, as we’ve seen over the past several days, ‘Annika Hansen’ is already in use” she added

Kathryn chuckled

“That’s very true” she agreed, reaching up to trace the outline of Seven’s ocular implant, watching how Seven flinched and let out a clear hiss of discomfort, and Kathryn pulled her hand away “I’m sorry,” she apologized “does it hurt to be touched?” she wondered softly

“No,” Seven shook her head, reflexively reaching up to touch the implant “but my implants are…sensitive” she explained hesitantly, clearly unable to find the proper words to describe the sensation

Kathryn reached out towards the implant

“May I?” she asked

In answer, Seven tilted her head towards Kathryn’s hand. Gently, Kathryn slowly reached out and very lightly traced her fingertip across the outer edge of the implant, keeping a careful gage on Seven’s reactions, watching how she closed eyes and let out a slow breath, leaning into Kathryn’s touch

“Does that feel all right?” Kathryn asked

“ _Yes_ ” Seven whispered with a soft sigh, and something about her reaction made Kathryn jerk with a start

“Seven…,” she began gently “are you becoming… _aroused_ by this?”

Seven jerked back, eyes flying open, her expression startled as pink tinged her cheeks

“I…believe so” she stammered out

Kathryn felt her own face heat up

“Well…,” she began uncomfortably “I guess I should have asked what you meant by ‘sensitive’.”

“Kathryn,” Seven began hesitantly “isn’t sexual arousal a common feature of a romantic relationship?”

“Well, yes, but most people don’t just jump into bed on the first date,” Kathryn exclaimed. Seeing Seven’s confusion, she softened her tone “having sex is a big step any relationship, especially if its one person’s first time. There are all sorts of emotions and other feelings involved, ones that you have to be prepared for. I guess what I’m trying to say is that we should get know each other better in this new…dynamic first before we do anything,” she paused, frowning as something suddenly occurred to her “I’m assuming that you haven’t had sex yet?”

Seven looked decidedly affronted at the question

“No,” she stated “but,” she began embarrassedly “I have…thought about it. Quite frequently” she admitted

Kathryn smiled

“Don’t worry, we’ll get there,” she assured her as she stood up “come on, our duty shifts start soon. Why don’t you use my shower?” she offered

“Thank you,” Seven nodded, heading for the bedroom and en suite, only to pause in the doorway “Kathryn?” she asked softly

“Yes?”

“Thank you,” Seven repeated “for everything”

Kathryn smiled

“You’re welcome”


	12. Captains Never Kiss and Tell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TWELVE! Enjoy! :=)

******

“Morning” Chakotay greeted as Kathryn stepped onto the Bridge

“Good morning” she greeted with a definite spring in her step and beaming smile

“You seem to be in better spirits today” he noted as he handed her a PADD

“I got a good night’s sleep,” Kathryn explained as she headed to her ready room, taking a sip from her coffee as she did, Chakotay quietly following her inside “by the way,” she began as she sat down behind her desk “I had an interesting conversation with Seven last night”

“Oh? What about?” Chakotay asked

Kathryn smirked

“It seems that members of my crew have gotten a little _too_ interested in my love life,” she stated

Chakotay chuckled, looking a little embarrassed

“Just how many of you were involved?” she wondered

Chakotay smirked

“That depends” he stated

“On what?” she asked

“Did it work?” he challenged. He smirked as a faint blush tainted Kathryn’s cheeks “I’ll take that as a yes”

“Let’s just say that Seven and I have….redefined our relationship” she answered vaguely, but the smile on her face said otherwise

“I see,” Chakotay nodded “just how much ‘redefining’ was involved in this…discussion?”

Kathryn smirked

“A captain never kisses and tells”

Chakotay chuckled

“But what about former Borg drones?” he wondered

“Well,” Kathryn began “when I mentioned that it would be best if we kept this under wraps for awhile, Seven agreed with me, she even said---how did she put it?—ah, right,” she cleared her throat and, in a passable imitation of Seven’s voice, said “ _‘knowledge of our changed interpersonal dynamic would no doubt cause unease among some crewmembers, especially as we ourselves remain unsure of continuing this endeavor’_ ”

“How romantic” Chakotay joked

“She meant well,” Kathryn dismissed “so, just how many people were involved in this matchmaking effort?”

“About three or four,” Chakotay answered “five, if you count Annika”

“Annika? She was involved?”

“She suggested it,” Chakotay explained “as for the others; they included me, B’Elanna, Tom, and Seven herself. Harry was also dragged into it by Tom, but he seemed to have trouble imagining Seven being attracted to _anyone_ , much less you”

“I’ll take that a compliment”

“Well, Harry’s always had a bit of a soft spot for Seven,” Chakotay reminded her “I think he thought the same as you: that she was too innocent and inexperienced”

“You mean that he still has a bit of a crush on her,” Kathryn noted “I wonder how Tal Celes will take that bit of information?”

Chakotay smirked

“I won’t tell you if you won’t” he said, and she saw that he meant more than just telling Harry’s girlfriend that he still had a crush on Seven. Chakotay would never tell the crew about Kathryn’s relationship with Seven. Nodding slowly, she felt her face warm

“Thank you, Chakotay” 

“No problem” he dismissed as the com chirped

“ _Doctor to the Captain_ ”

“Go ahead, Doctor”

“ _I’ve been monitoring Seven’s neurological functions. According to my scans, it looks like our guest has made a reappearance_ ” the hologram reported

“Acknowledged. Where is she now?”

“ _Astrometics, I’m on my way now_ ”

“Belay that,” Kathryn ordered as she stood “I’ll go”

“ _Understood_ ” The Doctor sighed

“Want some backup?” Chakotay asked

“No, I don’t think Annika wants to harm anyone” Kathryn reasoned

Chakotay nodded

“That was my assessment as well,” he agreed “good luck” he called as they stepped out of the ready room and she headed for the turbolift…

******

Entering Astrometrics, Kathryn paused, finding both Annika and Naomi Wildman sitting cross-legged on the main dais, both engaged in what appeared to be a game of password. As Kathryn watched, as-yet-unnoticed, from the door, Naomi looked down at the PADD in her hands

“Ship” she said

“Uh…boat?” Annika guessed

Naomi nodded, beaming

“Oar” she said

Annika brightened

“Rowboat” she declared

“Good,” Naomi nodded “your turn”

Annika looked down at the PADD in her hands only to look up as Kathryn lightly coughed

“Oh, Captain, hey,” she stood up “sorry, didn’t see you there”

“That’s all right,” Kathryn dismissed as she came into the room fully “The Doctor told me that you’d made a reappearance”

“Yeah,” Annika lightly hopped down the stairs to the main level “and I think I figured out why” she pulled up a diagram of the Borg interlink frequency

“What am I looking at?” Kathryn asked

“The spikes,” Naomi pointed “see? Every time the signal spike’s Annika comes out”

“I think the Ny’mar are playing around with Borg technology,” Annika explained “and, I think that they have no clue what they’re doing,” she pulled up long-range sensors “there’s a Borg sphere on its way,” she explained as the console suddenly chirped “ah, great, the signal’s spiking again, so I guess this is go—” she stopped suddenly, the change in posture immediately recognizable as Seven’s

“Captain?” she questioned

“Annika made a reappearance” Kathryn explained gently

Seven nodded stiffly, still clearly unnerved

“How long was I absent?” she asked

“A few minutes,” Naomi answered “I like Annika. She’s nice”

Seven smiled softly

“I like her as well”

“Seven,” Kathryn asked “are you and Annika aware of each others actions whenever one of you is in control?”

“It seems that she is aware of my memories and experiences, but I am not aware of hers” Seven explained

“So…she knows what you do?” Naomi asked

“Precisely,” Seven nodded “but I’m not aware of what she does when she is in control of my—of _our_ —body”

“Can’t you fix it?” Naomi asked

“I don’t know” Seven admitted

“Ms. Wildman, don’t you have classes to attend?” Kathryn wondered

Naomi looked down, caught

“Oh. OK,” looking disappointed, she turned to leave “bye Seven, bye Captain”

The two women waved in return

“What is it?” Seven asked

Kathryn sighed

“While Annika was in control she found out something…troubling” she explained

“Clarify”

“It looks like the Ny’mar are experimenting with Borg technology, that’s why Annika and you keep appearing and disappearing, the interlink frequency keeps fluctuating”

“And?” Seven pressed. She sighed as she studied Kathryn’s body language “a Borg vessel has detected the interlink frequency” she guessed

“Yes,” Kathryn sighed “I’m sorry”

“Why should you apologize?” Seven wondered “you did not bring the Borg here,” she paused “or did you?” she asked

Kathryn gapped at her, suddenly smirking as Seven smirked

“You’re developing quite the sense of humor” she noted

“On the contrary, I’ve always had a sense of humor,” Seven corrected “I simply don’t find many things to be funny”

“Well, I certainly don’t find the Borg funny” Kathryn muttered

“No” Seven agreed as they stared at the viewscreen…


	13. Sleep, Perchance to Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter THIRTEEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

“How long until the sphere arrives?” Chakotay asked as the senior staff gathered around the table in the conference room

“By my calculations, approximately forty-eight hours,” Seven answered as she pulled up the sensor information on the viewscreen “the sphere is patrolling the area for new species and technology to assimilate,” she explained “originally, it had no interest in the Ny’mar”

“Until now you mean?” B’Elanna commented sarcastically

“Recommendations?” Kathryn asked as Seven quietly sat back down

“We could warn them” Harry suggested

“They’ll probably just make us fill out some kind of warning forms” Tom scoffed

“Mr. Paris’ statement, although exaggerated, is based in fact,” Tuvok noted “we have no guarantee that the Ny’mar bureaucracy will expedite this information when presented with it. They may not trust our information or seek to avoid causing a panic” he reminded them

“But we can’t just stand by while they’re attacked and assimilated” Neelix objected

“We’re not going to, Neelix,” Kathryn assured him. She sighed “the way I see it, the problem here isn’t the Borg, it’s the Ny’mar themselves. We’ve all seen how condescending they can be, even borderline arrogant”

“You believe that they are overconfident in their ability to confront the Borg” Tuvok guessed

“Exactly,” Kathryn nodded “they’re studying Borg technology, how they communicate. They probably think that they can shut down the entire Collective with the push of a button,” she shook her head “Seven, I want you to gather all the information we have on Ny’mar—Seven?”

Slowly, everyone turned to look at the chair at the far end of the table where Seven sat, her head lolling to one side, eyes closed, breathing slow and even.

Cautiously, B’Elanna—who was closest to Seven—lightly reached out and _very tentatively_ poked the former drone on the shoulder with one finger, earning a slight snort from Seven, but nothing else

“She’s…asleep” B’Elanna pronounced in clear confusion

Slowly, Tom started snickering under his breath, which started Harry off

“Mr. Paris” Kathryn snapped

Tom coughed, sounding like he’d choked on his spit slightly

“Right. Sorry, ma’am”

“Tuvok, gather all the information we have on the Ny’mar,” Chakotay ordered “let’s see if we find a loophole in their bureaucracy”

“Aye, sir” the Vulcan nodded

“Dismissed,” Kathryn ordered crisply, not surprised when everyone—save for Seven and Tuvok—all but ran for the door. Lingering behind, Chakotay glanced at the still-sleeping Seven and then at Kathryn, who narrowed her eyes at him “not…one…word,” she warned.

Holding up his hands in mock surrender, Chakotay gave her a friendly smile and quietly slipped out of the room. Now alone, Kathryn stood up and slowly approached Seven, who was now clearly starting to drool a bit. Gripping her shoulder, Kathryn gave her a shake

“Seven,” she hissed “Seven!”

With a startled gasp, Seven jerked awake, frantically looking around in confusion

“Shh, shh, it’s all right, it’s only me,” Kathryn soothed “you fell asleep” she explained as she perched on the edge of the table

“I did?” Seven echoed as she looked around the now-empty room “for how long?” she asked

“Only a few minutes,” Kathryn explained “although you probably gave Tom Paris about a year’s worth of entertainment” she noted

Seven scowled

“No doubt” she muttered disdainfully

“Seven, how’ve your regeneration cycles been?” Kathryn asked

“They have been within normal parameters”

Kathryn smirked humorlessly

“Seven,” she began “I’m not asking as your captain”

Seven huffed out a breath

“My cycles have been interrupted several times this past week,” she explained “The Doctor seems to think that Annika is partly responsible; whenever she takes control of my body, it seems to cause my alcove to reset, in essence, the alcove views her as a separate drone”

“I see,” Kathryn nodded “can you fix the problem?”

“I already have”

“Seven, before you do anything else, I want you to regenerate,” Kathryn instructed. She held up a hand when Seven made to protest “ _now_ I’m speaking as your captain. That’s an order”

Seven scowled

“Very well” she huffed, standing up to leave

“Seven?” Kathryn called just before Seven reached the door “when you’re done, stop by my quarters tonight?” she requested

Seven glanced back at her and smirked…

******

Seven glanced at her alcove with a feeling trepidation. Although Borg drones didn’t dream, she did, with increasing frequency, and although some of her dreams had been beneficial, she still found the experience…unsettling

 _‘You are Borg, you will adapt’_ she told herself firmly. Feeling somewhat more confidant, she set the alcove for a short cycle and stepped into it…

******

_Looking around, Seven found herself standing in the same barren landscape she’d seen during her vision quest. As she tried to get her bearings, lightning flashed up above and, as the thunder rumbled across the empty plain, rain began to fall. First in a few drops, then with increasing strength, becoming a downpour in a matter of seconds._

_Tilting her head back, Seven closed her eyes, relishing the cooling sensation of the water on her skin, feeling as if she was cleansed by the water_

_“You look like you’re enjoying yourself_ ”

_Startled by the voice, Seven opened her eyes and looked around, finding a version of herself devoid of implants now standing by the lone tree in a loose blue dress_

_“Annika” Seven realized_

_Smiling, Annika nodded up at the tree, her grin widening as the tree began to slowly bloom, leaves slowly uncurling from the dead branches, as moss began to crawl down its trunk, grass quickly sprouting up from the tree’s roots, spreading out in a brilliant wave as wildflowers followed._

_Slow turning in a circle, Seven watched all of this with wonder as she came back around to face Annika, who was now standing at arms length from her. Smiling, she held out her arms to Seven_

_Feeling herself smile in return, Seven embraced Annika, holding her close as the cleansing rain continued to bring the landscape back to life…_

******

Back in the cargo bay, Seven smiled in her sleep…


	14. Projections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter FOURTEEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

“ _Regeneration cycle complete”_

Seven opened her eyes and stepped out of her alcove feeling refreshed. Feeling a bit energetic, she went to the workstation and checked to see if there were any messages, surprised to find that there were actually quite a few (for her anyway),. A request from Tuvok for information on Borg tactics, B’Elanna wanted her to double-check the status of the antimatter injectors, and notification from Kathryn asking to ‘drop by’ her quarters ‘whenever you like’.

Seven felt a pleasant warmth in her belly at the simple ‘K’ signature

“You better not be getting sappy on me, Seven. I live here too you know?”

Seven blinked and looked around at the sudden voice, but found the cargo bay to be empty as it usually was

“Hello?” she called out

“Over here,” the voice called out in a sing-song tone. Turning, Seven frowned at the small mirror on her workstation, tilting her head in confusion as her reflection appeared devoid of implants and in a Starfleet uniform.

Grinning, it waved cheerfully at her

“Hey,” it greeted with the same voice “nice to finally meet you face to face”

“Annika?” Seven questioned “you’ve adapted my cortical array,” she realized “allowing you to directly stimulate my auditory and visual cortexes”

The reflection nodded

“I call it a ‘controlled hallucination’,” she explained “hang on, let me try something,” the reflection changed back into Seven’s own and suddenly a fully Human version of Seven stood before her clad in Starfleet sciences blue

“How’s this?” Annika asked holding out her arms expectantly

“Impressive” Seven noted. Frowning, she reached out and touched Annika’s shoulder, unsurprised when her hand passed right through Annika’s form

“Yeah I thought so,” Annika agreed “so?”

“So?” Seven echoed in confusion

“ _So_ are we going to go out of this room?” Annika wondered “I’m still in your head; I can’t go anywhere unless you take me there”

“Where do you wish to go?” Seven wondered

“I don’t know,” Annika shrugged “surprise me”

******

“The mass hall wasn’t exactly what I had in mind” Annika commented as Seven entered the crowded room, her hallucinatory shadow following, passing through two tables and an ensign as she did. Getting a simple meal of roast chicken and carrots from the replicator, Seven looked around for somewhere to sit

“Seven! Hey, Seven! Over here!”

Tom waved from where he was sitting with B’Elanna. Brightening, Seven walked over

“Here you go,” Tom quickly grabbed another chair and held it for her “so,” he began as he sat back down “you have a late night or something?” he asked

“I beg your pardon?” Seven asked

“You fell asleep during the briefing” B’Elanna stated

“Yes, I know,” Seven nodded as she picked at her food, taking small bites “since Annika appeared by regeneration cycles have been interrupted,” she explained “fortunately, I’ve corrected the problem”

“That’s good,” Tom nodded “speaking of Annika, has she made any reappearences?”

“Actually…,” Seven glanced at Annika, who nodded encouragingly “…yes,” Seven nodded “she’s adapted my cortical array and is currently tapping into my auditory and visual cortexes”

“Uh…in English, please” Tom requested

“That’s incredible,” B’Elanna exclaimed. She turned to Tom “she’s basically projecting herself as an image that Seven can see and hear, as well as allowing _her_ to hear and see everything Seven does” she explained

Tom nodded in understanding as he turned back to Seven

“So, she’s…here, right now?” he asked

“From my perspective, yes” Seven nodded

“Is she pretty?” he wondered

B’Elanna promptly smacked him with her napkin

“What’d you do now, Tom?” Harry asked as he came over

“Ah, you know, the usual,” Tom dismissed as Harry sat down, having to squeeze in as more and more people arrived for the lunch rush “oh, hey, did you hear? Annika’s back” Tom exclaimed

Harry frowned and looked over at Seven

“No, she isn’t” he stated

“Actually, Mr. Paris is correct,” Seven explained “Annika _is_ ‘awake’ and is currently projecting herself as a hallucination”

Harry nodded slowly

“O…K,” he said just as slowly. He gave the air to the left and right of Seven of a critical look “so…she’s aware of what’s going on right now?” he asked “even though you’re in control?”

“Yes, Harry” Annika sighed, rolling her eyes

“Yes” Seven nodded, suddenly wishing Annika had a shin so she could kick it

“So, wait,” Tom held a hand “let’s say I wanted to ask Annika a question”

“You may” Seven nodded

“All right,” Tom nodded “what’s two plus two?”

“Four, you dumbass” Annika groaned

Seven smirked

“What?” Tom asked “what’d she say?”

“She called you a ‘dumbass’.” Seven answered

“You asked” B’Elanna smirked…

******

After regaining his composure, Tom went back to his meal, occasionally asking Annika questions, to which Seven dutifully ‘translated’ Annika’s answers. In a few minutes the foursome (five if you counted Annika) were engaged in a spirited conversation about everything and nothing. Seven found that she was actually enjoying herself for once, the once ‘irrelevant’ conversations about things such as Neelix’s latest culinary ‘creation’ (Tom swore that yesterday’s lunch had actually _moved_ on its own) and ship gossip was suddenly entertaining to her. It helped with Annika’s presence by her side, hallucination or not, but she provided a source of strength for Seven.

“Harry? You OK?” Tom reached out and nudged his friend

“You’ve been awfully quiet,” B’Elanna noted “something on your mind?”

“Projections” Harry muttered

“O…K,” Annika leaned in “hmm, I think Harry’s gone” she commented, which went unnoticed by Tom and B’Elanna and Harry of course

“Harry?” Tom gave him a harder nudge “Voyager to Harry”

“Huh? Oh,” Harry blinked “sorry,” he blushed “I was just thinking, what if we could transfer Annika’s neural pattern to a hologram? That way she could be free to explore the world on her own without having to borrow Seven’s body”

“The Doctor and I already discussed it,” Seven explained “the chances of Annika’s neural pattern surviving the transference are less than ten percent”

“OK,” Harry nodded “ _but_ what if we could modify whatever process she’s using right now to make you see and hear her?” he suggested

“What are you getting at, Harry?” B’Elanna wondered

“Whenever The Doctor’s program is activated we’re not actually dealing with him physically, right?” Harry began “his program’s still in the ship’s computer, in effect his holographic form is like Tom and _Voyager_ , Tom’s the ‘program’ that’s ‘piloting’ the ship”

“OK, so?” Tom asked “what’s this got to do with Annika?”

Harry quickly grabbed Tom’s fork

“Thanks” the helmsman muttered as Harry stood the fork up on the table besides his own

“All right,” Harry began “here’s what I’m thinking, we create a holomatrix, _then_ modify one of your implants to _project_ Annika’s neural pattern into the hologram. She’d still be in your head, but capable of interacting with the outside world through the hologram rather than your body”

“Even if we could do that—which I don’t see how—she’d still be tethered to Seven,” B’Elanna pointed out “even if she used the mobile emitter, the signal from Seven’s implants would be weak, probably no more than say…a couple hundred feet at most”

“A couple hundred feet is better than nothing” Harry reminded

“OK, OK,” Tom held up his hands “what about sight and hearing? We’d have to give the holomatrix some pretty sophisticated subroutines; I mean it would probably have to have a sense of touch for one thing. Hell, his thing would have to be almost as complex as The Doctor’s program, and that’s _before_ we even figure out how to get Annika to give it a test drive” he warned

“But if we actually _could_ do it,” B’Elanna began “it could give her some degree of freedom, no matter how small. Like Harry said, a couple of hundred feet is better than nothing”

The three slowly looked at each other before slowly turning to Seven

“Seven,” B’Elanna began “what’s Annika think about all this?”

Seven turned to Annika questioning

Annika slowly grinned back at her

Smirking, Seven turned back to the others

“She finds the idea acceptable”


	15. A Gilded Cage is Still a Cage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FIFTEEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

Kathryn frowned as she leaned back in her chair as assessed the tableau across her desk. Before her stood her chief engineer, her operations officer, her helmsman, her CMO, and her Astrometrics officer (who was also, recently, more)

“Let me see if I’m understanding you all correctly,” she began “you want to create a holomatrix and allow Annika Hansen to do…I’m sorry… _what_ exactly?”

Harry took the plunge and boldly stepped forward

“We want to basically use Seven’s neural transceiver to allow Annika to control the holomatrix,” he explained “physically, her neural pattern would still be stored inside Seven’s cortical implants, but she could use the hologram as a…a…vessel, a way to explore and move around separate from Seven”

“Uh-huh” Kathryn nodded slowly, clearly not entirely convinced

“Why don’t you use the pilot analogy?” Tom suggested

“Captain,” The Doctor stepped forward “Mr. Kim’s idea, although unorthodox, is actually a sound idea. The constant shifting between Annika and Seven is causing strain on Seven’s cerebral cortex,” he explained “the fact that Annika is apparently now also simultaneously aware at the same time as Seven is in control only _adds_ to the strain”

“So you would recommend that we’d do this…procedure?” Kathryn asked

“Frankly…yes” The Doctor nodded

Kathryn glanced at Seven

“It’s your head that’s the center of attention here,” she noted “what do you think?”

Seven smirked

“The idea has several merits,” she began “first and foremost, it would, as The Doctor said, reduce the strain on my systems. But, secondly, and more importantly, it would allow Annika a degree of freedom without compromising my own duties”

“Elaborate on that last one for me” Kathryn requested

Seven frowned

“Imagine a scenario where I was vitally needed in Astrometrics,” she began “while Annika possesses all my knowledge, she lacks some of my skills, she would unable to complete any set task as quickly and efficiently as I could”

“Hey! I’m right here you know?” Annika huffed from her hallucinatory position perched on Kathryn’s desk in the lotus position

“Be quiet,” Seven ordered, causing the others to all look around the room as if they looked hard enough they could see her

Annika stuck her tongue at Seven, causing the former drone to sigh in annoyance

“It would also prevent me from embarrassing myself by seemingly talking to myself” she added

Kathryn sighed

“All right, let’s say that hypothetically we do this and it succeeds,” she began “what about Annika’s freedom of movement? She’d be confined to either sick bay or the holodeck. At least inside Seven’s body she can move around”

“I’d be perfectly happy to share my mobile emitter” The Doctor pitched in

“But what if we have a sudden medical emergency and Annika is, for whatever reason, off the ship?” Kathryn wondered

“Actually, I’ve been studying The Doctor’s mobile emitter over the last couple of years,” B’Elanna spoke up “I’m reasonably certain we can make a version of it using our own, 24th century technology. It probably wouldn’t be as small, but it should do its job, especially since Annika’s neural pattern wouldn’t actually be in the hologram itself”

Kathryn sighed and turned to the seventh person in the room

“Chakotay, you’ve been pretty quiet. What’s your take on all of this?”

Chakotary frowned as he slowly leaned forward in his seat

“Is a gilded cage…,” he began “still a cage? Especially if you know it’s a cage?”

“Elaborate” Seven requested

“Annika experiences the world through your senses, your body,” he began “and now, although some might argue that she has a greater degree of freedom being aware of the outside world while you’re in control, the exact opposite is true. If you wanted to silence her opinion all you would have to do is refuse to interpret for her or refuse to allow her control of your body. In a way, its worse than before because now she’s had a taste of freedom”

Kathryn slowly nodded, glancing up at Seven who nodded in return

“Look, Captain,” Tom began “most of the work’s already been done for us,” he explained “most of the subroutines we need we can copy from The Doctor’s program”

“And since Annika will be controlling it we won’t need any cognitive subroutines” Harry pitched in

Kathryn looked between Tom and Harry and then turned to Seven

“What does Annika think about all of this?” she asked

Seven took a breath and closed her eyes, her posture and stance changing instantly as she opened her eyes

“Captain” Annika greeted

“Ms. Hansen,” Kathryn politely nodded in acknowledgement “I’m assuming that you were listening in on our conversation?” she asked

“I did” Annika nodded

“And? What’s your opinion?” Kathryn wondered

Annika took a breath

“Chakotay’s right,” she began “a gilded cage _is_ still a cage. Over the past few days I’ve experienced things that…well, I’ve never experienced before. Warmth, cold, food. No matter how much time Seven gives me free reign over our body, it’s still _her_ body. It’d be unfair to deny her freedom for the sake of giving me my mine”

Kathryn smiled and nodded slowly as Seven retook control of her body. Smirking, Kathryn turned to Tom and Harry

“Gentleman, you’d better get started,” she remarked “it sounds like our guest can’t wait to get to the party”

******

_Voyager’s_ holographic research lab had originally been installed to work in conjunction with the EMH. The original intent being to allow the ship’s crew to perform diagnostics and other procedures that wouldn’t necessarily be capable of being done on the holodeck. But since becoming trapped in the Delta Quadrant, no one had really found a use for the lab when the holodeck worked just as well.

As such the lab had gone virtually untouched over the years. Kathryn had nearly forgotten it even existed to be honest as she stepped through the doors, finding two Seven of Nines and B’Elanna, Harry, and The Doctor standing by the workstation.

From the way the second Seven stood motionless in the center of the room, it was clearly a hologram. As Kathryn watched, the real Seven typed in some commands into the console, changing the hologram’s appearance, removing the implants and changing the biosuit to a sciences division Starfleet uniform (no rank pips Kathryn noted and found herself oddly relieved by that knowledge), and Kathryn was suddenly struck by the memory of her and Seven’s encounter with the timeship _Relativity_.

Somehow, seeing Seven in a Starfleet uniform had been a far more tantalizing vision to Kathryn than Seven's usual figure-hugging biosuits.

“What?” Seven asked suddenly, looking to her left “why?...it’s irrelevant…,” she sighed “as you wish”

“What’s wrong, Seven? Annika not like it?” Harry asked

“She dislikes the hairstyle,” Seven stated “she says that she doesn’t like my ‘stupid hair’, and would like the hologram to have a ponytail” she explained

“That’s easy,” Harry grinned as he tapped a few commands in and changed the hologram’s hairstyle from Seven’s familiar twist to a loose ponytail “Doc?” Harry asked

The Doctor looked up from adjusting Seven’s ocular implant, and Kathryn felt her face heat up as she suddenly remembered how ‘sensitive’ her implants were and coughed to get her bearings back, alerting the others to her presence

“Ah, Captain,” The Doctor beamed “come to give our new crewmember a warm welcome?”

“If it works, Doctor, if it works” she reminded him

“It will work” Seven stated

“What makes you so sure?” B’Elanna wondered “more Borg arrogance?”

“No,” Seven stated “faith in your abilities, Lieutenant”

The others all stopped what they were doing and slowly looked between the two women in surprise, with Kathryn beaming with pride at Seven, while B’Elanna let out a disbelieving chuckle

“Well, I’ll be damned,” she chuckled “looks like dating the Captain is doing you good”

“I beg your pardon?” The Doctor looked between the two women in question while Kathryn and Seven both grimaced, as did Harry (for an entirely different reason)

“Oh. Sorry,” B’Elanna deadpanned “was that supposed to be a secret?”

“Dating?” The Doctor echoed “why, Seven, I had no idea, this is wonderful news!” he exclaimed “a milestone in your growth and development as an individual! So tell me, when did you first realize that you attracted to women? After all—”

“Computer, transfer the EMH to sick bay” Seven ordered, the computer chirped obediently and The Doctor disappeared in a photonic shimmer of indignation

“Thank you” Kathryn sighed

“I could have deactivated him,” Seven pointed out “but that seemed to be a drastic measure”

“Doesn’t matter,” B’Elanna announced “I’ve already copied the subroutines”

“Seven?” Kathryn turned to Seven questioningly

“The modifications to my neural transceiver are complete,” Seven nodded. She turned to the space to the left of Kathryn “we’re ready to proceed” she told it

“Here goes” Harry muttered as he and B’Elanna stared intently at the console

“Transmission in progress,” B’Elanna announced “the link’s stable”

As they all watched, the hologram moved, slowly looking around. Taking a slow step forward it approached Seven, smiling as it did

“Hello, Seven”

Seven smiled in return, a shy, yet radiant, smile

“Hello, Annika” she greeted…


	16. When It Rains, It Pours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter SIXTEEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

“Neurotransmitter levels are stable,” Tom turned from Seven to her holographic companion, waving the tricorder’s hand scanner over Annika’s form “vocal subroutines stable….sensory subroutines stable….holomatrix….,” he shut the tricorder with a snap “…stable. Looks like you’ll be around for a long while” he pronounced with a smile

“Good to hear it,” Annika nodded as she turned to Seven “how’s your neural transceiver holding up with the modifications?”

“Well” Seven nodded

“How can we be sure that the Borg won’t eavesdrop on the signal?” Kathryn asked

“The signal randomizes every few seconds,” Seven explained “the Collective should perceive it as nothing more than background subspace fluctuations”

Kathryn nodded slowly, clearly still cautious about the entire endeavor

“How far does the signal extend?” she asked

“It permeates subspace,” Annika pitched in “so, theoretically, I should be able to go…anywhere,” she glanced around the room “…provided that there’s a holoemitter nearby” she added somewhat sullenly

“Ah,” The Doctor brightened, presenting the small case containing his mobile emitter to Annika like a waiter bearing a bottle of fine wine “Ms. Hansen. Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your first steps on your journey to individuality. As you begin this journey, you’ll experience a plethora of—”

“Save the sales pitch, Doc,” Tom interrupted with a sigh “she gets it”

The Doctor sighed in obvious annoyance as Annika scooped up the mobile emitter and put it on

“So,” she took a false, unnecessary, breath “what’s next?”

“Actually,” The Doctor reached out and plucked the emitter off her “I’d like you to stay here for the moment. Just to ensure that the link remains stable”

Annika visibly rolled her eyes as he turned away. Meanwhile, Tom looked towards Kathryn and Seven and then nodded towards the doors…

******

Exiting sick bay, the officers went their separate ways. Tom went one way, and Seven and Kathryn went the other way

“You seem…troubled” Seven noted

Kathryn sighed

“Just realizing that I might’ve leapt before looking” she admitted

“You think that Annika poses a threat?” Seven wondered

“Indirectly, yes,” Kathryn nodded “in essence we’ve just created a new life-form”

Seven paused

“I…had not considered that” she admitted

“I know,” Kathryn sighed “neither had I,” she shook her head “let’s put this aside for now. I think I asked you to dinner, didn’t I?”

Seven smirked, raising her ocular implant

“Did you?” she teased “I don’t recall. Perhaps you should….ask me again”

Kathryn smirked, chuckling

“Seven of Nine,” she began in a formal tone “would you do me honor of joining me for dinner in my quarters?”

“Of course,” Seven nodded “what time should I arrive?”

Kathryn frowned, as if giving the matter some thought

“Hmm…how about…now?”

Seven also frowned thoughtfully

“Acceptable” she nodded

Kathryn beamed

“Well, now that we got that out of the way, we’d better go” she said. Just then, the lights dimmed, klaxons blaring

“ _Red alert, Captain to the Bridge_ ”

“Spoke too soon” Kathryn muttered…

******

“Report” Kathryn barked as she stepped out of the turbolift, Seven on her heels, and if Kathryn sounded just the tiniest bit annoyed Chakotay didn’t comment

“Two Ny’mar patrol ships are on a direct course towards our position” he reported

“Why have they sent two patrol ships to us?” Kathryn wondered

“I don’t know,” Chakotay admitted “but they didn’t seem too happy when we mentioned that the Borg were in the area” he noted as the two patrol ships dropped out of warp

“They are hailing us” Tuvok reported

“On screen” Kathryn ordered, settling in her chair

The Ny’mar commander didn’t look particularly happy to see her as the viewscreen cleared

“ _You are Captain Janeway?_ ” she asked, a distinct touch of arrogance in her voice

“I am,” Kathryn answered “how can we help you?”

“ _By leaving our space immediately_ ”

Kathryn exchanged a surprised look with Chakotay

“May I ask why?” she asked cautiously

“ _Your transit request has been denied. You are to escorted out of our space_ ” the Ny’mar captain ordered

“Captain, we’ve been here for several weeks,” Kathryn began “and we’ve obeyed all of the cultural norms”

The Ny’mar captain suddenly slammed her hands on the console in front of her, her composure cracking

“ _We_ know _about your sensor scans!_ ” she snapped “ _you are in direct violation of our internal security. Leave now or we_ will _escort you by force!_ ”

The transmission abruptly ended

“They’re coming about,” Harry reported “they’re charging weapons”

“Red alert, battle stations,” Kathryn ordered. She glanced up at the aft science station behind her where Seven stood “looks like we’ll miss dinner” she remarked

“So it would seem” Seven noted as the first volley of phaser fire hit the ship…

******

In sick bay, both The Doctor and Annika stumbled as the ship shuddered

“That felt like weapons fire” The Doctor realized

“Yes it did,” Annika nodded “excuse me,” she quickly grabbed the mobile emitter and slapped it on her arm “I’ll bring it back” she called as she disappeared through the doors…

******

Meanwhile, the Borg sphere approaching the system paused briefly in its course, information from its sensors being disseminated throughout the entire Collective in a matter of seconds.

“ _ **A vessel has been detected. Unimatrix 459, Grid 42. Alter course to intercept**_

Onboard the sphere, drones were activated and began to move to assigned areas as the sphere adjusted its course, getting close enough to indentify its target

“ _ **Vessel identified: Federation Starfleet, Intrepid-class. Warp signature detected. Prepare for assimilation. Relevant technology**_ ”

Suddenly, the sphere stopped in its proverbial tracks

“ _ **Halt. Continue scans. Further analysis needed**_ ”

In a matter of seconds in real-time, but an eternity for the Collective, the sphere analyzed and double-checked its sensor readings

“ _ **Vessel indentified: USS Voyager NCC-74656. Captain Kathryn Janeway in command. Continue scans. Scans completed, Borg interlink frequency detected. Source: USS Voyager. Increase speed to intercept**_ ”


	17. The Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter SEVENTEEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

Kathryn grunted as the ship shuddered beneath her

“Shields are at eighty-five percent,” Tuvok reported as another blast hit “correction: eighty percent”

Kathryn gritted her teeth in annoyance

“Target their weapons systems and fire” she ordered

“Aye,” Tuvok nodded as he fired phasers “direct hit, both ships’ weapons are disabled. They are withdrawing” he reported

“Stand down from red alert,” Kathryn sighed “helm, take us just outside of Ny’mar space”

“Aye, ma’am”

“Chakotay, contact the Ny’mar,” she sighed “and _try_ to explain what we were actually doing” 

“ _Astrometics to Bridge_ ”

Kathryn froze and looked up at Seven, both of them sharing equal looks of confusion at the voice over the com

“Annika?” Kathryn questioned

“ _Yeah. Could you and Seven come down here, please? I’ve got some troubling information_ ”

******

Entering Astrometrics, Seven and Kathryn found Annika manning the main console. The hologram/neural pattern didn’t even bother to look up as they came in

“The Borg sphere’s accelerated,” she reported “it’ll be here in less than three hours”

“Wonderful” Kathryn groaned as she and Seven joined Annika

“On the bright side, I found the source of the interlink frequency,” Annika added, pulling up the long-range sensor readings “its on a Ny’mar ‘mining ship’, at least that’s what they’re calling it anyway”

“If we can shut down whatever is transmitting the interlink frequency, we may deter the sphere” Seven noted

“Unfortunately, the Ny’mar won’t let us come close enough” Annika noted

“Maybe,” Kathryn frowned “maybe not”

“You have a plan” Seven noted somewhat disdainfully

“What makes you say that?” Kathryn wondered

“Combadge,” Annika pointed at Kathryn’s combadge, which she was fiddling with “you always do that whenever you’ve got a plan”

Kathryn looked down and then self-consciously removed her hand

“I thought only Chakotay knew about that” she chuckled

“No” Seven stated as the red alert klaxons blared again

“ _Captain to the Bridge_ ”

“Let’s go” Kathryn ordered, Annika and Seven following her… 

******

“Report” Kathryn ordered as she stepped onto the Bridge

“Four more Ny’mar ships just dropped out of warp,” Chakotay reported “they’ve raised shields and are charging weapons”

“Well, they’re persistent, I’ll give them that” Kathryn noted as the first volley hit, the ship shuddering from the impact

“Captain,” Harry called out “I’m picking up a transport signature, it looks like they’re trying to beam something off the ship”

“It looks like the beam’s focused on cargo bay two,” Chakotay noted as he studied the console between the command seats “they must be trying to steal some of our Borg technology for study”

Kathryn froze, a sudden chill going through her as she turned towards Seven, watching as a golden shimmer suddenly enveloped her form

“Seven!” lunging, she grabbed Seven, holding on tight as the transport enveloped them both

“Harry!” Chakotay urged

“I can’t block them!” Harry announced as both Seven and Kathryn vanished

“Get them back!” Chakotay ordered

“I can’t get a lock on them! The Ny’mar are blocking our transporters!” Harry announced in desperation as the Ny’mar ship quickly fled at high warp

“Follow them” Chakotay ordered

“Commander,” Tuvok spoke up “the Ny’mar have denied us permission to travel through their space. By violating that order we would be risking open—”

“I know what they said!” Chakotay snapped “but they just abducted two of our crew, they lost the moral high ground when they did that,” he turned towards the helm “Tom, follow them”

“Yes, sir” Tom nodded…

******

Kathryn took a breath as she and Seven rematerialized in a small room

“What have you done?!” Seven demanded

“They were trying to abduct you! I had to do _something_!”

“And your plan was allow yourself to be abducted as well?” Seven demanded “you are letting your emotions dictate your actions!” she accused “and allowing your feelings for me to cause you to behave irrationally”

“Well if my emotions are so bad then maybe we should reconsider this whole damn thing!” Kathryn spat

“Perhaps we should!” Seven agreed

They both glared at each other, panting harshly in the deafening silence that followed, before they both looked away, ashamed

“I’m sorry,” Kathryn murmured “I didn’t mean that”

“Nor did I,” Seven nodded stiffly “but you cannot risk your own safety for my sake. Just as I cannot risk my own for yours”

Kathryn smirked

“How’d you get so wise?” she wondered

Seven smirked

“I had an excellent teacher”

Both turned as a hidden door suddenly opened, a Ny’mar official flanked by two guards each armed with phaser rifles entered

“Captain Janeway,” the Ny’mar woman quirked an eyebrow “this is indeed a surprise,” she remarked “we were only intending to take your drone for study, but you’ll be a welcome addition to our science team”

Kathryn took a cauious step forward, keeping herself been Seven and the woman

“And what science team is that?” she asked

The Ny’mar woman smiled, it was a cruel smile, the smile that the Cardassians had no doubt used before exterminating thousands of Bajorans

“A team dedicated to the destruction of the Borg Collective,” she stated “and you and your drone will help us, Captain”

“And if we refuse?” Kathryn wondered

“Let’s say that you wouldn’t like my answer” the Ny’mar countered

“A Borg sphere is already on its way,” Seven spoke up “they’ve detected your experiments with the interlink frequency. Once they come, they _will_ assimilate your entire species. The Ny’mar will exist only as a name and a distant memory”

The Ny’mar woman glanced at Seven disdainfully then gestured to one of the guards, who, in a lightning quick movement, raised his rifle and shot her.

“SEVEN!” Kathryn watched in horror as the phaser blast hit Seven in the shoulder and upper arm, pitching her across the room to hit the far wall

“Relax, Captain,” the Ny’mar woman commented dispassionately as Kathryn frantically rushed to Seven’s side, feeling her stomach twist at the stench of ionized air and burning flesh “it isn’t permanently damaged, but we will destroy it if we must. Now, are you going to help us. Or not?”

“ _Kathryn_ ”

Kathryn looked back towards Seven, who clutched at her injured arm, breathing harshly. Looking up at Kathryn, the young woman weakly shook her head

“Captain?” the Ny’mar woman asked as one of the guards took aim with his rifle…


	18. Into the Lion's Den

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter EIGHTEEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

Kathryn remained where she was, glaring defiantly at the business end of the phaser rifle being aimed at her head. Suddenly, the Ny’mar woman gestured again and the guard withdrew

“You’re a very courageous woman, Captain,” she commented “I admire that”

Without a further word, she and the two guards swiftly left the room. Now alone with Seven, Kathryn leaned back against the wall, breathing a quiet sigh of relief. Checking on Seven she found that young woman had passed out. Examining the wound, Kathryn could already see evidence of healing, meaning that Seven’s nanoprobes were already at work. She knew that Seven’s nanoprobes focused on larger injuries, small wounds—cuts, scrapes and the like—were ignored.

With no medkit on hand, all Kathryn could do was hold Seven close and wait for the nanoprobes to do their work. However long that took…

******

B’Elanna slapped a hand down on the console in frustration. Groaning she rested her elbows on the console and buried her face in her hands, huffing out a tired and annoyed breath.

Looking up, she blinked in surprise as a hand held out a plate to her. Following the hand up to the attached arm, she was met with Tom’s concerned face

“Banana pancakes with maple syrup,” he tried for a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes “come on,” he cajoled as she abruptly walked away “I thought this was your favorite?”

“It is,” she sighed “but I can’t focus on food right now. Not when the Captain and Seven could be in trouble”

“B’Elanna,” Tom set the plate down on the railing surrounding the warp core and then gently took her by the shoulders, turning her to face him “look, you’ve been working for half the night. You’ve already found a way to modify our shields so that the Ny’mar can’t detect us. What more can you do right now?”

“ _Something!_ ” B’Elanna exclaimed, throwing out her arms in frustration. She groaned and rubbed at her temples tiredly “I’m sorry,” she sighted “I didn’t mean to snap at you”

“Ah, it’s OK,” Tom dismissed “makes life interesting”

“It’s just…” B’Elanna sighed in annoyance again “it’s not just Janeway being abducted, it’s Seven too”

“Yeah, I agree,” Tom nodded “but,” he began “you’re not exactly the president of Seven’s fan club” he pointed out

“I know, I know,” B’Elanna nodded “but…over the last few days, everything I thought I knew about her…changed. And not just because of Annika”

“It’s because Seven’s suddenly more Human,” Tom nodded “yeah, I know what you mean. Ever since Annika showed up, Seven’s changed too, she’s more friendly, more open, more…well…Human”

“Exactly,” B’Elanna nodded “I guess I’m feeling a little…” she trailed off

“Guilty?” Tom suggested gently

B’Elanna looked down

“Something like that,” she admitted. She shook herself off “enough about me,” she declared “any word on Annika?”

Tom shook his head

“So far Harry and I can’t figure out what severed the link to the holomatrix,” he explained “but, if I had to guess, from the way she grabbed at her arm before the link broke, I’d say that Seven was injured”

“Great,” B’Elanna muttered “just what I needed to hear”

Tom said nothing, merely smiled softly and held out the plate of pancakes again

“You don’t have _anything_ to feel guilty for” he told her

Smiling, he turned and left Engineering. Now left holding the plate of pancakes, B’Elanna picked up the fork and began eating. No one said she couldn’t eat and work at the same time…

******

Chakotay glowered at the report in his hands as he sipped his stale coffee. It had gone cold at least two hours ago.

Two hours. Two hours of chasing the Ny’mar ship, hiding in their wake and following them deeper and deeper into the heart of Ny’mar space, into the proverbial lion’s den. To make matters worse, only minutes after the Captain and Seven had been abducted, the link between Annika’s neural pattern and the holomatrix had been severed, leaving the lifeless hologram standing there on the Bridge like a mannequin.

Pushing his stale coffee away, Chakotay leaned back into the ready room chair. It felt…wrong to be sitting here, it always did, no how long, whether for a few hours during an away mission, or because of situations like this, it always felt wrong. The chair, the ready room, it was all Kathryn’s and he had no business being there..

He was broken out of his thoughts as the chime rang

“Come” he called. The doors slid open to reveal Marla Gilmore. Formerly of the ill-fated U.S.S _Equinox_ , the now-crewman Marla Gilmore seemed to be, out all five of the _Equinox’s_ survivors, the one who was the most determined to atone of her crimes. It was part of the reason that Chakotay was dating her.

“Here are those reports you wanted, Commander” she said as she handed him a small stack of PADDs

“Ah, thanks,” Chakotay smiled as he took the stack from her and examined the reports contained within “something else?” he asked when she stood there, fidgeting

“Could I ask you something? Off the record?”

“What’s on your mind, Marla?” he wondered as he gestured for her to sit down

“There are rumors floating around the lower decks,” she explained hesitantly “about the Captain and…Seven”

“And you’re wondering if I could tell you if they’re true,” Chakotay reasoned. She nodded “they are” he confirmed

“So, Captain Janeway’s really sleeping with Seven of Nine?” Marla asked in clear surprise

“Well, I don’t know if they’ve gotten _that_ far,” Chakotay chuckled, feeling him blush at the image that statement conjured “but they have begun a relationship” he confirmed

“Thanks,” blushing slightly, Marla stood up, pausing as she turned to leave “Chakotay?” she asked quietly

“Yes?” Chakotay asked

Smiling shyly, she leaned forward and gave him a gentle, almost-chaste, kiss on the cheek

“I know you’re concerned about them,” she said “but don’t wear yourself out”

Chakotay smiled, reaching out to take her hand, lacing their fingers together

“I’ll be sure not to” he replied

Nodding, she turned to leave, nearly colliding with an excited-looking Harry Kim

“Commander! We think we’ve managed to reestablish the link with Annika’s neural pattern” he exclaimed

Abandoning the stack of reports, Chakotay was already halfway out the door before Harry hand time to blink…

******

Entering the holo-lab, Chakotay found Naomi Wildman waiting eagerly by the console. Smiling at her obvious enthusiasm, he looked over at Harry

“Your assistant?” he asked

“Naomi’s been quite the little engineer,” Harry enthused with a smile “she might even give B’Elanna a run for her money one day”

Naomi beamed at the praise

“I’ve helped adapt Annika’s holomatrix and reinforced the signal strength” she explained proudly

“Very industrious” Chakotay noted

“And B’Elanna gave me this” Naomi held up a slim grey rectangle. It was about the size of an open tricorder but only about as thick as PADD. Curious, Chakotay took it and turned it over

“Annika’s mobile emitter?” he asked

“A prototype anyway,” Harry nodded “Naomi here even came up with an adaptation to the program,” he explained “whenever the signal’s severed, the hologram shuts down, and vice versa; when Annika wants to disconnect, all she has to do is deactivate the hologram. Just like when we take The Doctor off-line”

“Smart,” Chakotay noted “so, are we ready?” he asked

“Ready and willing,” Harry nodded, clearing his throat “computer, status of the interlink frequency?” he asked

“ _Interlink frequency stable_ ” the computer reported

“OK,” Harry took a breath “computer, activate holomatrix ‘Annika-1’.”

Annika’s hologram appeared with a startled gasp, looking around frantically

“Annika?” Chakotay questioned

“Chakotay?” she looked around the room “oh, good, I’m not hallucinating”

“What happened over there?” Chakotay asked

“The bastards shot me!” Annika spat, holding her left arm awkwardly

“Ahem” Harry coughed and nodded towards Naomi

“Oh. Whoops” Annika muttered

“That’s OK” Naomi dismissed evenly

“Harry, why don’t you take Naomi back to her quarters?” Chakotay suggested. Nodding, Harry quickly took Naomi by the hand and led her out of the lab, leaving Chakotay alone with Annika “what happened over there?” he asked

“The Ny’ma want to use Seven as a test subject,” she explained “what’s that?” she nodded towards the mobile emitter

“Your mobile emitter,” he explained “courtesy of B’Elanna”

“Well, let’s give it a try” taking it from him, Annika attached it to her arm and followed him out of the lab, finding no problems so far

“How are Seven and the Captain?” Chakotay asked as she followed him down the corridor

“I don’t know, Seven’s unconscious,” she explained “and my arm _really_ hurts” she hissed

“You can feel pain?” Chakotay wondered as they entered the turbolift

“Well of course, I feel whatever Seven’s feeling,” she reminded him “the hologram’s just acting as an avatar”

“Can you perceive two things at once?” Chakotay asked

“You mean what’s going on here on _Voyager_ and what’s going on with Seven?” she asked “I think so. Provided Seven’s awake, of course,” she frowned “what’d I miss?” she asked

“We’re following the Ny’mar ship at high warp” Chakotay explained

“How’d you keep them from detecting us?” Annika wondered

“Actually, your parents helped with that,” Chakotay explained “we’ve adapted the Hansen’s multiadaptive shielding to hide from the Ny’mar”

“Smart” she noted

“Thank B’Elanna,” Chakotay remarked “but we could use some help on the Bridge. You up for it?”

Annika grinned

“Born ready” she proclaimed as they stepped out onto the Bridge

“Welcome back” Tom greeted

“Thanks, Tom” Annika nodded as she took up position at the aft science station while Chakoty settled down in the first officer’s chair

“Commander, the Ny’mar ship’s dropping out of warp” Harry reported

“Stay with them, Tom,” Chakotay ordered “Annika, how’s our shield status?”

“Shields are holding steady,” she reported “I’m detecting….something up ahead” she reported

“Can you be a bit more specific?” Chakotay asked

“No, sensor readings are erratic,” she replied “but, whatever it is, it’s massive, nearly three _kilometers_ in length”

“Confirmed,” Tuvok reported “we are entering visual range”

“Let’s see it” Chakotay ordered. As the viewscreen activated, a sudden silence fell over the Bridge. Officers turned away from their stations to gape at the viewscreen in a mix of awe and shock

“You’ve got to be kidding me” Tom swore from the helm

“I _really_ hope that my eyes are playing tricks on me” Harry muttered

“They’re not,” Annika shook her head as she double-checked her readings “it’s a Borg cube” she declared as _Voyager_ and the Ny’mar ship approached the massive structure. The cube was heavily damaged, at least one quarter of its structure was missing and what were clearly elements of Ny’mar technology had been attached to slowly drifting vessel, while what were clearly fragments of the cube’s hull drifted around in a wide field of debris.

“Part of one anyway,” Tom muttered “I’m reading power in only a few sections”

“Lifesigns?” Chakotay asked

“Several hundred,” Tuvok reported “all Ny’mar”

“It looks like they’ve been…scavenging it” Harry remarked

“Well, now we know why they kept stonewalling us,” Tom muttered “they found the holy grail of Borg technology”

“What happened to the cube?” Chakotay asked

“Unknown,” Annika shook her head “we’re too far away to get any detailed scans. But, if I had to guess, I’d say it was an ion storm”

“Confirmed,” Harry nodded “I’m picking a high concentration of ionization from the hull”

“It’s an old cube too,” Annika noted “radiogenic decay of the hull fragments indicate that it’s been adrift for _years_ ”

“The Ny’mar must have found it years ago and have been studying it ever since” Chakotay reasoned

“If that is true, then their knowledge of Borg technology could be significantly more advanced than our own” Tuvok noted

“Hope not” Tom muttered

“Where’s our Ny’mar ship?” Chakotay asked

“Holding position approximately four kilometers from the cube” Tuvok reported

“I’m picking up what looks like an encoded transmission” Harry announced

“Must be some kind of pass code,” Chakotay reasoned “Annika, can you—”

“Way ahead of you, I’m already analyzing it now,” she paused suddenly, looking up “Seven’s waking up” she reported…

******

Seven blinked, looking around in confusion as her memories slowly returned. Slowly sitting up, she winced at the dull ache in her shoulder and upper arm. Examining the wound, she found that it was mostly healed, but she would need to see The Doctor to ensure there was no permanent damage. Examining her surroundings, she found Kathryn leaning against the wall, seemingly asleep

“Kathryn?” she reached out and shook the other woman’s shoulder “Kathryn!” she hissed

Kathryn lurched, sitting up with a gasp

“Seven?” she blinked “are you all right?” she asked, reflexively reaching out to gingerly touch Seven’s injured arm, coming short of actually making comtact with the wound

“I am…well,” Seven answered “considering the circumstances”

“What’s happened so far?” Kathryn asked

“I’m not certain, I’ve only just regained consciousness” Seven explained as the door opened again, two armed Ny’mar stepping into the room

“Come with us” they ordered, roughly hauling both women to their feet and unceremoniously shoving them down a narrow corridor and through a set of doors

“Seven?” Kathryn asked slowly as she looked around the space beyond the doors

“Yes,” Seven nodded “we’re inside a Borg vessel”

“A cube to be exact,” the same Ny’mar woman from before stepped forward “welcome to our laboratory, Captain”


	19. Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter NINETEEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

The Ny’mar were an unnerving species to look at. Although—like most sentient life in the galaxy—they were humanoid, their appearance had given Kathryn the creeps from day one. They had very little to no hair, while their skin was an ashen grey pallor, that combined with their gaunt, wizened—almost skeletal—build, sunken, all black eyes and hollowed cheeks, all gave them a decidedly corpse-like appearance.

Grunting as she and Seven were forced into a cell, Kathryn repressed a shiver at the feel of the Ny’mar’s cold bony hands. In addition to their unpleasant—by Human standards—looks, they also had a very low body temperature as well, feeling like ice to a Human’s sense of touch.

Ignoring the glowers from the guards, she turned to Seven

“Are you all right?” she asked

“I am fine” Seven answered as she examined their new accommodations

“Well, you’re the former drone here. Any ideas on how to get out of here?” Kathryn wondered as she also examined the walls

“No”

“Your confidence overwhelms me, Seven” Kathryn drawled sarcastically

In response Seven looked away

“There is a way to escape” she said softly

“Why do I get the feeling that I’m not going to like it?” Kathryn wondered, she frowned, gasping as the realization occurred to her “absolutely not!”

“It may be the only way to ensure not only your own safety but that of _Voyager’s_ as well” Seven argued

“I don’t care if it gets us home in less than a second! I’m _not_ leaving you behind to be…to be… _experimented_ on!” Kathryn exclaimed, vehemently shaking her head “no! We’ll find some other way out of here. Together” she vowed

“Your confidence overwhelms me” Seven sneered sarcastically…

******

Chakotay looked up as Annika entered the ready room

“Well?” he asked

“They’re in a cell onboard the cube,” Annika explained “Seven’s still injured but healing”

“The Captain?”

“Physically, she’s OK, but she’s mad as hell right now,” Annika sighed as she sat down “Seven’s just proposed that Janeway leave her behind”

“Let me guess, Kathryn’s reaction was…less than agreeable?”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Annika sighed “how’s that rescue plan coming?”

“Not too well,” Chakotay sighed “even if we could get an away team onboard the cube it’s a maze. Not to mention the fact that the Ny’m probably won’t very agreeable if we ask for directions,” he leaned back in the chair with a sigh “I don’t suppose…?” he ventured

“No,” Annika shook her head “I’m only aware of whatever Seven or the hologram,” she patted her stomach “…sees or hears, nothing else outside that”

“Just how much are you aware of?” Chakotay wondered “can you hear Seven’s thoughts?”

“No, I share her memories since we’re both, in essence, the same person,” Annika explained “but her thoughts are a mystery to me, and, I’m assuming, mine to her. I can feel what she’s feeling, physically, but as long as she’s in control its limited. Hot, cold…,” she trailed off, reflexively rubbing at her arm “…pain” she finished softly

“What about her emotions?” Chakotay wondered “can you feel them?”

“Somewhat,” Annika nodded “it’s…simplistic. For example, right now, I know that she’s frustrated, but I only know why from context”

“Because you’ve seen and heard what’s going on” Chakotay reasoned

“Exactly,” Annika nodded “if I was to focus on just the hologram, I couldn’t see or hear whatever she was experiencing, and wouldn’t know why she felt sad or happy at any given moment”

“Can you relay a message from me to Seven?”

Annika blinked

“Holy…why the hell didn’t I think of that?!” she exclaimed, suddenly leaping to her feet, grinning widely “that’s genius! Seven can rely any information to and from the Captain!”

Chakotay grinned

“Then we’d better get started”

******

Seven sat on a power distribution node as she watched Kathryn pace their cell, looking for a way out. Looking around, Seven guessed that this chamber had once been an assimilation chamber, but the Ny’mar had stripped it of almost all technology and now used it as an impromptu cell

“Kathryn,” Seven sat up suddenly “turn to your left” she instructed

“OK,” frowning Kathryn did as instructed turning to face the wall “what am I looking at?” she wondered

“Annika is here,” Seven explained in a low voice “continue facing the wall. If the Ny’mar see me talking to nothing…”

Kathryn nodded in understanding

“Got it. So, what’d you think about yesterday’s velocity match?”

Smiling as Kathryn continued speaking to ‘her’ about the finer points of velocity, Seven turned to Annika

“I’m glad to see you” she breathed

“Me too,” Annika smiled “I’ve a message from Commander Chakotay; _Voyager_ followed the ship that abducted you both here, they used Mama and Papa’s multiadaptive shielding to keep from being detected and we’re holding position just outside in the debris field. We’re currently planning a rescue operation” she explained

“But..?” Seven probed

Annika sighed

“The Borg sphere that was following us has altered course, it’s on a direct path here,” she explained “I don’t think I have to remind you how much more advanced their sensors are than _Voyager’s_ ”

“If the sphere has detected this wreckage then the Collective will no doubt be sending more ships to reclaim it,” Seven nodded “and assimilate everyone onboard” she looked back over at Kathryn. The prospect of sacrificing herself to the Ny’mar save Kathryn was appealing in its own bittersweet heroic sense, it appealed to her Human side's romanticism. But to leave Kathryn to be assimilated? To become one of thousands of other drones? To have her vital spark of individuality, the very thing that had drawn Seven in, be snuffed out by the Collective?

No she swore. Never. She would rather die than allow Kathryn to experience that.

But how could they escape?


	20. The Great Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TWENTY! Enjoy! :=)

******

“ _First Officer’s Log: We’ve maintained our position just outside the perimeter of the Ny’mar-controled Borg cube. So far they haven’t detected us yet but that could change any second. Annika Hansen—our eyes and ears inside the cube—reports that Captain Janeway is all right but that Seven of Nine has been taken to another part of the cube and sedated, for what reason we can only speculate. Currently, Ms. Hansen is working with Ensigns Paris and Kim on getting an away team onboard the cube to rescue our missing crewmates without being detected, but so far they haven’t come up with anything. To make matters even worse, the Borg sphere that’s been following us is now less than an hour away…_ ”

******

“Almost looks like something took a bite out of it” Tom commented as he studied the graphic of the cube on the viewscreen in Astrometrics. Besides him, Annika frowned and tilted her head thoughtfully

“Huh, I suppose it kind of does” she remarked as B’Elanna let out an angry snarl

“Harry? Could you please _stop that_?!” she demanded

Harry looked down at his hand, which had been drumming restlessly on the edge of the console for the past few minutes, before looking up at B’Elanna sheepishly

“Sorry” he apologized

“Its…fine,” she sighed “just…I don’t need the distraction”

“Guys?” Annika called out hurriedly “Seven’s waking up”

“OK…” Harry began to input commands into the console. Instantly a blinking dot appeared on the viewscreen, moving through the interior of cube as the computer began to map the cube’s interior as it followed the blinking dot

“Boys and girls,” Tom began quietly “I give you Seven of Nine, the Incredible Blinking Dot”

“Let’s just hope that neither the Ny’mar or the Borg pick up Annika’s interlink frequency” B’Elanna warned

“Let’s hope,” Annika agreed “Harry? Genius move there, using my interlink frequency as a homing beacon”

“Well, I just hope that Seven’s all right” Harry muttered as they all watched the blinking dot…

******

Kathryn frowned as she studied the force field emitters on either side of the doorway, startling slightly as a shadow fell over her. Looking up she was confronted by a glowering Ny’mar guard

“Back away” he ordered before lowering the force field, two more guards suddenly unceremoniously throwing a semi-conscious Seven into the cell before all three left, the force field shimmering back into existence

“Seven?” Kathryn hurried over to Seven’s side, taking note of her glazed and unfocused eyes; she had clearly been drugged, but why? Examining her form carefully Kathryn could see no obvious signs of injuries, even a dermal regenerator had its limits, so if the Ny’mar had cut her open (Kathryn’s stomach twisted at the thought) there would still be some evidence, sections of too pink skin, differences in textures, et cetera, but aside from the still-healing phaser burn on Seven’s shoulder and upper arm, Kathryn couldn’t see any other obvious signs of injuries.

“Seven?” she gave the young woman a shake, which earned a lazy head turn and a somewhat vacant stare as the young woman mumbled something incoherently “oh Seven,” Kathryn sighed “what have they done to you?”

“Nothing too invasive, Captain”

Kathryn looked up to see the same Ny’mar woman from before. Anger coursing through her, she surged to her feet, marching over to the force field

“What have you done to her?” she demanded, her voice a deep growl in her throat

“We examined it,” the woman replied casually “specifically its memory pathways. It will take us time to study all the information it possesses, but it will no doubt prove invaluable to our cause”

“You _violated_ her mind?!” Kathryn growled

“‘Her’ mind? I think you mean ‘it’, Captain,” the woman corrected “despite what you may have seen, it is still a drone,” she stated “oh yes, I grant you that it looks like an individual and acts like one, but it isn’t, its merely copying you and others. Our own scientists, through _years_ of study have found that there is no possible way of restoring a drone’s individuality once it’s been assimilated into the Collective”

“For you maybe,” Kathryn allowed “let us help you,” she pleaded “our doctor can work with your scientists, he can show you new techniques, new methods to better resist the Borg”

“Resist?” the woman asked “oh no, you misunderstand me, Captain. We don’t intend to continue to ‘resist’ the Collective, no, we intend to _destroy_ them”

“Then you will be destroyed yourselves”

Both women turned to see Seven groggily sitting up, wincing as she put her hands to her head

“Your drone seems to be awake, Captain,” the Ny’mar commented “I’m surprised that you don’t fear being assimilated” she remarked

“Right now, I’d welcome it,” Kathryn growled “if only for the knowledge that you would be assimilated right along with me”

Smirking, the Ny’mar turned and left without a word,

Now alone, Kathryn turned to Seven

“How are you feeling?” she asked as she crouched down next to her, helping to ease her up against the wall

“Strange,” Seven began “I feel as if my head is no longer attached to my body. And my mouth…” she smacked her lips reflexively, grimacing

“Must be the drugs,” Kathryn reasoned as Seven tipped her head back, and groaned at the wave of dizziness that action produced “Seven, I know that you don’t feel very good right now…” Kathryn began

Seven burst out laughing, a mad, hysterical sound

“On the contrary, I feel absolutely _perfect_!” she proclaimed. She turned towards Kathryn, grinning shyly “I feel as if I could…walk through walls” opening her hand she held up a long, thin piece of wire

Staring at it, Kathryn slowly took it from Seven

“A monofilament,” she realized quietly, suddenly remembering another time that they’d shared a cell, aboard the _Dauntless_ , when they’d adjusted Seven’s ocular implant to allow her to penetrate the force field “oh…you clever girl” she whispered as Seven seemingly drifted off into unconsciousness again. For a moment, Kathryn lost herself in the memory of that escape, recalling how close she’d been to Seven and how Seven had flinched when she’d reached for her ocular implant and smiled as she now knew why Seven had flinched.

But she also recalled how lost Seven had sounded when she admitted that she didn’t know where she belonged and it had been so hard for Kathryn to reply _‘you belong with us’_ instead of what she had truly wanted, that Seven belonged with _her_.

Assessing the still-drowsy Seven, Kathryn sighed as she rocked back on her heels, absently fiddling with the monofilament. All she had to now was wait…

******

Chakotay looked up as Tom, Harry, and Annika entered the ready room

“I hope you three have some good news” he remarked

“We think we have a way of getting onboard the cube” Annika nodded

“Let’s hear it”

“We’ve already managed to decryptic the passcode,” Harry began “the problem is, even with the multiadaptive shielding, we can’t disguise ourselves as a Ny’mar patrol ship, _Voyager’s_ mass and warp signature are just too large to fool them”

“But the _Delta Flyer_ isn’t,” Tom pitched in, holding out a PADD “with a few tweaks, we can adjust to shields to give off a false sensor echo, the Ny’mar will see one of their patrol ships, and we can extend the warp signature to add to the illusion”

“Sounds like a plan,” Chakotay “how long will it take?”

“Actually, it should already be done,” Annika pitched in. She shrugged “B’Elanna and I might have taken the initiative and gotten started an hour ago”

Chakotay smirked

“Normally, you’d face a reprimand for that breach of protocol,” he began “but, given the circumstances, I won’t tell the Captain if you won’t,” he turned to Tom and Harry “I want you two and The Doctor on the _Flyer_ ,” he ordered “Annika? We’ll need you on the Bridge”

“Got it” she nodded

“Well, let’s go get our people back” Chakotay nodded…


	21. The Gauntlet Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TWENTY-ONE! Enjoy! :=)

******

The _Delta Flyer_ slid to a stop between two marker buoys at the perimeter of the Ny’mar security field surrounding the cube. At the helm, Tom took a breath

“Paris to _Voyager_ , we’re in position” he reported over the com

“ _Acknowledged_ ,” Chakotay replied “ _good luck_ ”

“Let’s hope these modifications of yours work, Tom” Harry remarked

“If they don’t we’re in for a very short trip,” Tom warned “those aren’t just marker buoys, I’m detecting at least a dozen phaser canons onboard” he reported

“Thanks, Tom,” Harry groaned “that’s just what I needed to hear,” he studied his console “they’re receiving the passcode” he reported.

Outside the shuttle the security field flickered and then vanished

“We’re in,” Tom exclaimed, hurriedly maneuvering the _Flyer_ inside the perimeter “Doc, start scanning for the Captain and Seven” he ordered…

******

Meanwhile, on _Voyager_ , Chakotay looked over at B’Elanna who was manning Ops in Harry’s absence

“What’s the status of the Borg sphere?” he asked

“It’s fifteen minutes out” she reported

“Chakotay to away team, you’ve got fifteen minutes until that Borg sphere arrives,” he warned “make the most of them”

“ _Acknowledged_ ” Tom replied…

******

“Seven?” Kathryn patted Seven’s cheek, trying to rouse her “come on, wake up,” she urged, watching as Seven groaned and weakly opened her eyes, blearily focusing on Kathryn “no, no, don’t go back to sleep,” Kathryn urged as she struggled to lift Seven into a sitting position, a difficult task, seeing as how Seven was effectively dead weight at the moment, weakly slumping against Kathryn’s shoulder, and in any other situation, Kathryn would have found the move cute, but not now. Whatever the Ny’mar had drugged her with showed no signs of wearing off anytime soon, and now Kathryn was starting to seriously worry for the young woman’s health.

“Seven!” she snapped “look at me, look at me,” she titled Seven’s head towards her “I know that you’re tired, I know that you don’t feel good, but you need to listen to me, all right?”

Seven stared at her, blinking slowly before nodding

“All right, now, I’m going to adjust your ocular implant,” Kathryn explained as she wriggled her arm in at the odd angle and began to very carefully adjust the implant “then,” she began “you’re going to walk through the force field and deactivate it. All right? Here,” struggling, she managed to lift them both into a standing position and drunkenly maneuvered Seven towards the force field “Seven?” she patted Seven’s cheek again “do you understand what I just told you?”

Seven nodded slowly, her eyes still glazed and unfocused, as she staggered against the wall and all but fell through the force field towards the console outside. Wobbling dangerously, she groaned and blinked as she clearly struggled to focus on the console, finally drunkenly slapping a hand down and sloppily entering a series of commands, the force field deactivating.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kathryn hurried over and managed to catch Seven before she collapsed

“Tired,” she mumbled as Kathryn slung her arm over her shoulders and began to help her down the corridor “want…sleep”

“I know you do,” Kathryn soothed “and, when we get back to _Voyager_ , you can sleep all you want. But first we need to get out of here”

“Grid…four-forty…t-two,” Seven slurred “junction…” she trailed off, lapsing into a series of incoherent mumbles. Mentally cursing, Kathryn gasped as a blast of phaser fire suddenly arced over her head. Thrusting Seven to the side, she piled atop her as she hunkered down behind a large bulkhead, frowning as the phaser fire stopped and a series of angry, frustrated grunts followed instead.

Cautiously peering out from her hiding place, Kathryn spotted a guard angry hitting his rifle, which had clearly malfunctioned. Glancing back at Seven, who was still incoherent, Kathryn slowly stood up, catching the guard’s attention, who raised his still non-functional weapon and took aim. Slowly, Kathryn stepped out from her hiding place, feeling her anger build as she did.

Breathing harshly, she suddenly let out a primal bellow and charged; catching the guard by surprise as she suddenly tackled him, the rifle flying from his grip as they both went tumbling to the floor.

Grappling, he managed to get the upper hand, quickly rolling on top of her and trying to strangle her. Gagging and gasping for air, Kathryn stretched out a hand, spying the rifle just a few scant inches away. Desperately clawing at air, she managed to get a good grip on it and, swinging it up, struck the guard in the head, sending him rolling off her.

Surging to her feet, she swung the rifle down on him like a club once, twice, and again, long after he stopped struggling she continued, ignorant of the blood now spattering against the walls, only seeing Seven weak and helpless as she continued swinging the impromptu club down again and again.

Raising the rifle high above her head, she gasped as a pair of hands suddenly grabbed her wrists. Gasping, she spun around to face her assailant, only to find that it was Tom Paris.

Blinking, Kathryn came back to herself, looking around in confusion

“Tom?” she asked

“Yeah,” Tom nodded as he gently eased the rifle out of her hands, tossing it away. He glanced at the guard with a grimace “I think you got him” he quipped dryly

Kathryn followed his gaze, staring in shock at her handiwork, realizing that guard was dead; he probably had been for at least several minutes, long before the rifle had shattered his skull. Trembling, Kathryn struggled to get her bearings back

“Seven” she realized, hurrying over to where Seven still lay slumped against the wall. Beside her, Tom crouched next to Seven and began scanning her with a medical tricorder

“Vitals are stable,” he withdrew a hypospray from the medkit on his shoulder and pressed it against Seven’s neck “that should counteract the drug in her system,” he announced as the cube suddenly shuddered violently “Paris to _Delta Flyer_. What’s going on out there Harry?”

“ _We’ve got company, Tom_ ” Harry replied as Tom and Kathryn each took one of Seven’s arms and hauled her to her feet as the cube shuddered again

“The Ny’mar?” Tom asked

“ _No,_ ” Harry reported “ _worse_ ”

Looking up, Tom and Kathryn both skidded to a stop as three Borg drones materialized in front of them…

******

“Can you get a lock on them?” Chakotay demanded as the Bridge shuddered from Ny’mar weapons fire

“Negative,” B’Elanna reported “the sphere’s erected a dispersal field, its disrupting both our and the Ny’mar transporters”

“We might be able to beam them out if we got closer” Annika announced

“How much closer?” Chakotay demanded

“Close enough to dock with the cube to be honest” Annika shrugged

“That’s a little too close for my liking” B’Elanna exclaimed

“It’s our only chance,” Chakotay reminded her “helm, move us into position,” he ordered “Tuvok, keep remodulating the shields, I don’t want any unwanted guests”

“Aye”

“Chakotay to _Delta Fyler_ , Harry, try to get as close to the cube as you can,” he instructed “as soon as you get a lock on the away team beam them out, we’ll try the same from our end”

“ _Understood, Commander_ ”

“Chakotay to Paris, what’s your status?”

******

“Never better!” Kathryn spat out sarcastically as she and Tom hurried Seven down a side corridor as more and more Borg drones materialized, quickly overwhelming and assimilating as many Ny’mar as they could find, while Tom and Kathryn were confronted with a T-shaped intersection

“Dead end” Tom muttered as they turned to the left only for three drones to block their path. Turning the other way they were confronted with four drones

“ _Delta Flyer to Paris! I’ve got a lock! Energizing!_ ” Harry suddenly announced excitedly over the com, the familiar tingling sensation of a transporter beam surrounding the three as the interior of the cube vanished in a haze of blue sparkles to be replaced with the interior of the aft compartment on the _Delta Flyer_

“Stay with her,” Kathryn ordered, nudging Seven towards Tom “I’ll take the helm”

Hurrying into the cockpit, Kathryn spied The Doctor

“Doctor, go check on Seven” she ordered

“Aye Captain”

“Harry? I’ll drive”

“Yes ma’am” clearly unable to keep a shy grin off his face, Harry gave up the helm to her. Taking the controls, Kathryn put the _Flyer_ into a sharp dive as Ny’mar ships swarmed towards them, narrowly missing the bursts of phaser fire

“Janeway to _Voyager_ , we’re coming in hot” she reported

“Understood,” Chakotay replied “medical teams to the shuttlebay” he ordered over the com as the _Flyer_ sped towards the main shuttlebay, docking with a hard jolt

“They’re aboard!” B’Elanna announced

“Raise shiel—” Chakotay was cut off as the ship shook violently

“The Borg sphere has locked onto us with a tractor beam” Tuvok reported as Kathryn exited the turbolift

“ _ **We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile**_ ”

“They’re scanning us,” Annika announced just before the ship jerked again “they…let us go?”

“What?” Kathryn demanded

“Confirmed,” Tuvok reported “the sphere has released us and is moving to intercept a group of Ny’mar ships”

“Maybe they decided that we weren’t worth the trouble” Chakotay suggested

“Either way, I’m not going to stick around to find out,” Kathryn replied “helm, get us out of here, maximum warp,” she ordered as _Voyager_ leapt to warp. In the slience that followed, Kathryn took a breath “report” she demanded

“Neither the Ny’mar nor the sphere are pursuing us” Tuvok reported

Kathryn let out a slow breath

“Resume course to the Alpha Quadrant” she ordered…


	22. Love's Baptism

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TWENTY-TWO! THE FINAL CHAPTER! ENJOY! :=)
> 
> Chapter title taken from the poem of the same name by Emily Dickinson

******

“ _Captain’s Log, supplemental: It’s been two days since Seven of Nine and myself were rescued and, so far, we’ve had no contact with either the Borg or the Ny’mar. In the case of the Ny’mar, I doubt we ever will again. The Doctor and Annika Hansen have successfully flushed the Ny’mar sedative from Seven of Nine’s system and she is now regenerating. Although I’m grateful to be back aboard_ Voyager _I find myself still conflicted about my actions aboard the Borg cube. As for Ms. Hansen, she seems to be settling in fine with the rest of the crew…_ ”

******

“ _Regeneration cycle complete_ ”

Seven stepped out of her alcove to find Kathryn dozing in a chair, seemingly waiting for her. Smiling—an action that was coming easier and easier to her as the days went by—Seven softly stepped over to Kathryn, crouching down in front of her, gently reaching out to lightly stroke a fingertip across the soft skin of Kathryn’s cheek. Stirring, Kathryn inhaled and opened her eyes, blinking in slight confusion at Seven.

“Seven?” she grunted as she stretched out her sore body “how long have you been watching me?”

“Approximately one point five minutes,” Seven explained “I see why you enjoy this action”

Kathryn felt her face heat up

“So you know about that, huh?” she chuckled

“As I said before,” Seven began “regeneration is _not_ like sleep, it would be inefficient if Borg drones were unaware of the world around them,” she stood up, holding out a hand towards Kathryn, which Kathryn eagerly took and allowed Seven to pull her to her feet “I believe I still owe you dinner” Seven remarked

“It’s closer to breakfast than it is to dinner” Kathryn chuckled

“Perhaps,” Seven allowed “but I ask that you ‘indulge’ me and join me on the holodeck for dinner” she invited

Kathryn chuckled

“All right, but one condition, no holodeck, my quarters instead”

Seven nodded

“Very well”

******

The replicator in Kathryn’s quarters decided to cooperate (for once) and made no hassle when Kathryn requested two plates of roast chicken breast and rice pilaf

“Something to drink?” she asked, turning away from the terminal to find Seven sitting on the couch engrossed in a book “Seven?” Kathryn prompted

Seven looked up, startled

“I apologize, I…didn’t hear you” she admitted, blushing prettily

“I asked if you wanted something to drink” Kathryn explained

“Oh. Iced tea, please”

“Iced tea it is,” replicating the requested beverage (and giving the oddly compliant replicator a suspicious glare) Kathryn set the table and beckoned Seven over “what are you reading anyway?” she asked

“A book of poetry,” Seven explained “ _The Collected Works of Emily Dickinson_ ”

“Ah, she writes lovely work doesn’t she?” Kathryn remarked

“Yes” Seven nodded

“Any particular favorite?” Kathryn wondered

Seven paused, fork halfway towards her mouth. Frowning thoughtfully, she gently set the fork down and recited

“ _I’m ceded, I’ve stopped being theirs;/The name they dropped upon my face/With water, in the country church,/Is finished using now,/And they can put it with my dolls,/My childhood, and the string of spools/I’ve finished threading too./Baptized before without the choice;/But this time consciously, of grace/Unto supremest name,/Called to my full, the crescent dropped,/Existence’s whole arc filled up/With one small diadem./My second rank, too small the first,/Crowned, crowing on my father’s breast,/A half unconscious queen;/But this time, adequate, erect,/With will to chose or to reject,/And I chose—just a throne_ ”

Kathryn sat back, awed at the raw passion in Seven’s voice as she finished the poem

“That was beautiful Seven” she breathed

Seven blushed again, looking away

“I…found it to be…appropriate for me,” she admitted “taken as a child, remade into something against my will” she explained

“So have you chosen your throne?” Kathryn wondered

Seven looked up, eyes bright as she gave a small, shy smile

“Only if your throne is besides mine” she replied

Laughing heartily, Kathryn reached out, taking Seven’s hand, curling her fingers around Seven’s

“I’ll make sure of it” she vowed…

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it folks! The end of "Reflections of the Heart" :=). It shouldn't come as a surprise, but I will be continuing this as a series, so look out for more of this 'verse. Thanks to everyone who commented and left kudos, I hope it was everything you wanted.
> 
> Take care
> 
> \--AXEe :=)

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


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